Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday condemned the forced landing of a Ryanair flight by Belarus and the arrest of an opposition journalist on board, calling it a „shocking act“ that endangered the lives of U.S. citizens and everyone else on board.

In a statement, Blinked vowed that the U.S. would respond with its allies in the region, and called for the „immediate release“ of journalist Raman Protasevich, who according to reports, was detained by Belarusian security forces after the flight landed.