NATO has been discussing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Negotiations on this issue took place on Friday, March 4.
NATO expects the situation in Ukraine to get worse in the coming days, there will be more deaths and casualties, said Alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. But the sky over Ukraine will not be closed yet:
“NATO has agreed that there should be no alliance aircraft in the skies of Ukraine and there should be no NATO soldiers on Ukrainian territory. We do not want to allow war with Russia.”
The alliance also called on Russia to immediately withdraw troops from Ukraine and begin negotiations: “We need Russia so that there is no nuclear war, the world cannot do without it. But we don’t need Russia attacking and killing,” Stoltenberg said.
What is a no-fly zone?
Such zones are usually created over the territory of a state during a military conflict. In fact, it is a ban on the actions of military aircraft, if military planes fly into this sector, they will be shot down by the countries that announced the imposition of the no-fly zone. That is, if NATO makes such a decision, it will shoot down Russian and Ukrainian planes and missiles over Ukraine. This in turn could lead to war between the Alliance and Russia.
A no-fly zone can also be imposed over important facilities even in times of peace, such as government quarters or over stadiums during public events.
Will a decision be made?
President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested a no-fly zone over Ukraine several times. The petition to NATO to introduce a no-fly zone over Ukraine has already gathered a million votes required for consideration. The Alliance is now obliged to consider the petition. The petition says that closing the skies would prevent Russia from carrying out devastating missile strikes, bombing raids, or large-scale landing operations using planes and helicopters. This could save thousands of lives and make it more difficult for Russia to wage war.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also insisted on closing the skies: “We are saying clearly to our partners in NATO: You can think as much as you like how to avoid a direct confrontation with Russia, but if you do not help us now to stop Russia in the air, a direct confrontation will be inevitable. It is critical to act right now”.
European and U.S. politicians have said several times that they would not make such a decision because it would be fraught with war with Russia. The latest came from the Pentagon on March 3. The Pentagon once again stressed that it had no intention to go to war with Russia. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also previously ruled out the possibility of introducing a no-fly zone over Ukraine in the face of a full-scale invasion by Russia. “We have no intentions to enter Ukraine, neither on the ground nor in the airspace,” the secretary-general said. According to him, NATO has a responsibility to ensure that the conflict does not develop into a full-scale war in Europe.
