Desk Report
Publish: 08 Mar 2022, 09:59 pm
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called Western powers to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine to prevent more Russian attacks || Ukrainian Presidential Press Office via AP Photo
Growing increasingly frustrated
with what he perceives as a lack of Western action, Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused his allies of sharing responsibility for
casualties.
“While Russians are to blame for
the killings, responsibility is shared by those who for 13 days in their
Western offices haven’t been able to approve an obviously necessary decision,
who didn’t save our cities from these bombs and missiles – although they can,”
The Kyiv Independent newspaper quoted Zelenskyy as saying Tuesday.
Several cities and airbases in
Ukraine have been bombed, shelled, or hit with ballistic missiles since Russia
launched its full-scale invasion on February 24.
Moscow has called the campaign it
launched on February 24 a “special military operation”, saying it has no plans
to occupy Ukraine, which was once part of the Soviet Union under Moscow’s sway
but which has now turned to the West and is seeking NATO and European Union
membership.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called
for Western powers to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine to prevent more
Russian attacks.
“We repeat every day: close the
sky over Ukraine. Close for all Russian missiles, for Russian combat aircraft,
for all their terrorists,” Zelenskyy said on Sunday.
“If you don’t, if you don’t give
us at least planes so we can protect ourselves, there’s only one thing to
conclude: you want us to be killed very slowly.”
Ukraine’s air force fleet
consists of aging Soviet-era MiG-29 and Sukhoi-27 jets, used for aerial combat
or supporting ground troops, and heavier Sukhoi-25 jets to take out ground
targets, according to the Military Balance assessment by the International
Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
These are the only planes
Ukrainian pilots could fly immediately without additional training – no NATO or
other European ally shows any appetite for taking part directly and risk being
deemed a co-combatant by Moscow.
NATO has rejected Ukraine’s
appeal for a no-fly zone, prompting fierce criticism from Zelenskyy who said
the move greenlighted Russia’s bombing campaign.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg
announced the decision on Saturday following an urgent meeting of the 30-member
alliance in Brussels.
He said helping Ukraine protect
its skies from Russian missiles and warplanes would require NATO forces to
shoot down Russian aircraft, a move that could result in a “full-fledged war in
Europe involving many more countries”.
“We are not part of this
conflict,” he said.
The Biden administration has also
ruled out such a move.
Officials and experts have warned
of spiraling escalation if the US gets directly involved in the war, which has
seen more than two million people flee so far.
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