“Joe Biden just announced during his first State of the Union Address that U.S. airspace will be closed to Russian flights in response to their invasion of Ukraine. This was expected leading up to the address.
The president opened his remarks with a focus on Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the efforts undertaken by the U.S. and allies to penalize Russian President Vladimir Putin — and other members of the country’s elite — for the ongoing assault.
“Tonight I am announcing that we will join our allies in closing off American airspace to all Russian flights — further isolating Russia — and adding an additional squeeze on their economy,” Biden said.
Seconds earlier, Biden had announced that his Justice Department was assembling a dedicated task force “to go after the crimes of Russian oligarchs. “Tonight I say to the Russian oligarchs and corrupt leaders who have bilked billions of dollars off this violent regime: no more,” Biden said, to thunderous applause and yells.
Individual European countries had previously prohibited various Russian aircraft from their airspace. Canada has also shut its airspace to Russian aircraft. Biden’s announcement for the U.S. to do the same came during a speech in which he slammed Putin’s invasion of Ukraine as “wrong” and highlighted the response that the U.S. and its allies have undertaken against it.
