Joe Biden calls Ryanair incident an insult to international norms

"I join numerous calls for an international investigation to establish all the circumstances of this case. I welcome the news that the European Union has called for targeted economic sanctions and other measures, and has asked my team to develop appropriate options for bringing perpetrators to justice, in close coordination with the European Union, other allies and partners, and international organizations", - said Joe Biden and called the situation with the plane "a direct insult to international norms".

He called the arrest of the founder of the telegram channel Nexta Roman Protasevich "shameful attacks on both political dissent and freedom of speech".

“The United States joins countries around the world in calling for his release, as well as the release of hundreds of political prisoners who are being unfairly detained by the Lukashenko regime”, - the US president said.

He stated that the Belarusian people for several months "tried to make their voice heard, demanding democracy, respect for human rights and the preservation of fundamental freedoms".

"I salute the courage and determination of Belarusians fighting for fundamental rights, including journalists like Roman Protasevich and opposition leaders like Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and her husband Sergey Tikhanovsky. The United States will continue to support the people of Belarus in their struggle”, - Biden said.

It should be noted that the participants of the EU summit after the incident with the landed plane intend to prohibit the Belarusian airlines from flying over the territory of the EU, and the European ones - over Belarus.