EU to purchase weapons for Ukraine as it shuts airspace for Russia

Ukraine-Russia latest news: The top official in the European Union said the 27-nation bloc would close its airspace to Russian airlines and fund the purchase of weapons for Ukraine.

"For the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons and other equipment to a country that is under attack," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

The EU will also ban some pro-Kremlin media outlets, she said.

Von der Leyen added: "We are shutting down the EU airspace for Russians. We are proposing a prohibition on all Russian-owned, Russian registered or Russian-controlled aircraft. These aircraft will no more be able to land in, take off or overfly the territory of the EU."

She also said the EU would ban "the Kremlin's media machine".

"The state-owned Russia Today and Sputnik, as well as their subsidiaries, will no longer be able to spread their lies to justify Putin's war and to sow division in our union," Von der Leyen said.

She added that the EU will also target Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko for supporting Russia's widespread military campaign in Ukraine.

"We will hit Lukashenko's regime with a new package of sanctions," she said.

Josep Borrell added that he expected the bloc's foreign ministers on Sunday to endorse two emergency assistance measures "to finance the supply of lethal material to the Ukrainian army as well as urgently needed fuel, protective equipment and medical supplies."