MONTREAL (Reuters). MONTREAL (Reuters). Any foreign-owned aircraft leased to Russian carriers by a dual registered owner would conflict with key provisions of a crucial agreement that establishes core principles for global air travel, according to the United Nations’ Aviation Agency via email.

Russia’s government stated Thursday that they had suggested that foreign planes leased to Russian airlines be made Russian property.

Most leasing companies have until March 28th to cut ties with Russian airlines. This is in response to Western sanctions that were imposed following Russia’s invasion Ukraine.

Russia is trying to avoid this by reregistering foreign-owned aircrafts in Russia. This was according to a source close to discussions about the matter this week by U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization’s governing body.

Russian aircraft that are owned by foreign carriers and operated under lease in Bermuda were primarily registered in Bermuda. According to a second source, Russia would allow dual registration.

In an e-mail response to Reuters, ICAO indicated that dual registration is not compatible with Article 18 the 1944 Convention on International Civil Aviation (also known as Chicago Convention), which states “an airplane cannot be validly registered within more than one state.”

Montreal’s ICAO stated that it had reached out to Russia for confirmation and additional details, but still hasn’t received a reply.

ICAO can’t impose any rules upon governments, but it sets the standards that are overwhelmingly adhered to by 193 of its member countries.