KYIV, May 24 – Ukraine will suspend air travel to Belarus and will be re-rerouting all its plans to bypass the country after Belarusian authorities have forced Ryanair plane to land to arrest an opposition journalist, a senior official said Monday.

Oleksiy Danylov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, said the order to suspend the air travel was given by President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The order will be implemented by the government.

“Given the level of danger and impudence of challenges to democratic values created by the Belarusian government in the immediate vicinity of Ukraine's borders, President Zelensky initiated a decision to completely suspend flights to the Republic of Belarus and divert all flights bypassing its airspace,” Danylov said.

Ukraine’s reaction comes as Western countries have condemned Belarus for diverting a plane flying over its territory to arrest Roman Protasevich, the opposition journalist.

EU leaders are due to discuss their response to what the union's executive called a "hijacking" and the US state department said was "a shocking act".

Belarus scrambled a fighter jet to force the plane - bound for Lithuania - to land, claiming a bomb threat.

The 26-year-old was aboard the Ryanair plane, which was flying from the Greek capital, Athens. The aircraft was due to land in Vilnius, but was still in Belarusian airspace when it was told to divert to Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

Witnesses said the activist was "super-scared" and told fellow passengers he would face the death penalty - Belarus is the only European country that still executes prisoners.

State media in Belarus said President Alexander Lukashenko had personally given the order for the move. The plane landed in Vilnius more than six hours after its scheduled arrival.

Since winning a disputed election last August, Mr Lukashenko, 66, who has ruled the country since 1994, has cracked down on dissenting voices. Many opposition figures have been arrested, while others fled into exile.

The incident drew sharp condemnation from across the European Union, with countries urging the immediate release of Mr Protasevich and a full investigation. The EU later summoned the Belarusian ambassador and informed him of the bloc's "firm condemnation".

Dozens of Belarusian officials, including President Lukashenko, are already under EU sanctions including travel bans and asset freezes, imposed in response to the repression on opponents.

Several countries, including the UK and Lithuania, have told flights to avoid Belarusian airspace. UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said he issued the instructions "in order to keep passengers safe.” (nr/bbc/ez)