The European Union, through the voice of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, had promised "a very strong response".
A firm response to what she describes as "piracy" and "state terrorism", after the hijacking of an airliner carrying a political opponent of the Belarusian regime, arrested during an unexpected stop in Minsk.
Belarus has just received it: at the end of a meeting of the Twenty-Seven on Monday evening, the EU is closing its airspace to Belarusian planes, and asks its airlines to avoid Belarusian airspace.
It also demands the immediate release of Belarusian opponent Roman Protassevich.
2,000 commercial flights in Belarusian airspace every week
Nearly 2,000 commercial flights pass through Belarusian airspace every week, according to the Eurocontrol organization.
Belavia, for its part, operates around 20 flights every day from or to EU airports.
Unanimity of the 27 is required for any EU sanction.
France and the three Baltic states have called for a ban on EU airspace for planes from Belarus.
On Sunday, a Ryanair plane was on a flight between Greece and Lithuania, two member countries of the EU and NATO, before being intercepted by a Belarusian fighter and diverted to Minsk, capital of Belarus.
On board, Roman Protassevich, former editor-in-chief of Belarusian opposition media Nexta, who was arrested on his arrival in Minsk.
In the early evening, the aircraft was finally able to resume its flight to Lithuania, where it landed several hours behind schedule - without the 26-year-old opponent.
Read also Ryanair flight baffled by Belarus: "I risk the death penalty", panicked the Belarusian activist arrested
Quickly, the European Union denounced an unacceptable maneuver.
"This is an unprecedented incident", the European Union "will not accept that the passengers of (its) airlines are endangered", reacted the European Commissioner in charge of Transport Adina Valean, ensuring to be in contact "With the international organizations concerned".
For ICAO, the forced landing "could be a violation of the Chicago Convention", which protects the sovereignty of the airspace of nations.
The heads of state and government of the 27 EU countries are meeting on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels, for a summit where a series of international issues and the climate issue must be addressed.
The hijacked Ryanair Boeing incident was put on the agenda to address the implementation of "sanctions" against the country.
The EU was already preparing new sanctions against the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, involved in the crackdown on the challenge to the presidential election of August 9, 2020, deemed “rigged” by Brussels.