Alghadeer TV Alghadeer TV
The United States and the United Kingdom have rejected the notion of implementing a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine, saying they cannot afford to have a direct military confrontation with Russia.
Speaking along with UK Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington wants to end the conflict, not prolong it.
“Introducing, in our case, American servicemembers in Ukraine … or American pilots into Ukrainian airspace – whether on a full or on a limited basis – would almost certainly lead to direct conflict between the United States, between NATO and Russia,” Blinken told reporters.
“And that would expand the conflict; it would prolong it; it would make it much … deadlier than it already is. And that would be neither in the interest of our countries, nor in the interest of Ukraine,” he added.
A no-fly zone is established to stop countries from carrying out attacks over groups of people or flying in certain areas.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked the US to establish “no-fly zones” to protect Ukraine from Russian airstrikes and stop buying Russian oil and gas. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that it would lead to catastrophic consequences.
US President Joe Biden has dismissed the notion of no-fly zones because of the risk of “a potential direct war with Russia.”
On Wednesday, the UK foreign secretary also rejected the push to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
“The reality is that setting up a no-fly zone would lead to a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia,” Truss told reporters.
“And that is not what we are looking at. What we are looking at is making sure that the Ukrainians are able to defend their own country with the best possible selection of anti-tank weapons and anti-air defense systems,” she added.
On Sunday, US Republican Senators Marco Rubio and Joni Ernst warned that implementing a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine would result in World War III.
