White House Rules Out Imposing a ‘No-Fly Zone’ Over Ukraine

 

Zelensky wants the US to establish a 'no-fly zone,' but the move would put the US and Russia in a direct war

by Dave DeCamp Posted onFebruary 28, 2022CategoriesNewsTagsRussia, Ukraine

On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki ruled out the idea of the US imposing a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine since it would put the US directly in a war with Russia.

What that would require is implementation by the US military — it would essentially mean the US military would be shooting down planes, Russian planes,” Psaki told MSNBC. “That is definitely escalatory, that would potentially put us in a place where we are in a military conflict with Russia. That is not something the president wants to do.”

US planes shooting at Russian ones could quickly escalate into a nuclear war. But that hasn’t stopped some hawks in Washington from calling for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, most notably Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is also urging the US and NATO to implement a no-fly zone.

In a statement to Axios, Zelensky said the Western powers should “impose a no-fly zone over significant parts of Ukraine.” He said if the US and NATO do “their part” then Ukraine can “beat the aggressor.”

It’s unlikely that Zelensky will get his wish as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also ruled out the idea of a no-fly zone over Ukraine. “We have no intentions of moving into Ukraine neither on the ground or in the airspace,” he said.

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/02/28/white-house-rules-out-imposing-a-no-fly-zone-over-ukraine/