US firm about not engaging in war with Russia: Blinken on Ukraine's 'No-fly Zone' plea

Top US and NATO officials on Friday turned down calls for a no-fly zone to be set up in Ukraine, warning that it could lead to a "full-fledged war in Europe" and saying that they are doing what they can to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia's invasion.

In separate news conferences in Brussels on Friday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg argued that a no-fly zone simply wasn't realistic because it would lead to a direct conflict between Russia and NATO.

"The only way to actually implement something like a no-fly zone is to send NATO planes into Ukrainian airspace and to shoot down Russian planes, and that could lead to a full-fledged war in Europe. President Biden has been clear that we are not going to get into a war with Russia," Blinken said after his meeting with European allies.

Under a collective security guarantee binding, NATO’s 30 member countries — Article 5 of its founding treaty — all allies must come to the defence of an ally if it finds itself under attack. Any shooting down of a NATO warplane by Russia could trigger that clause.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other top Ukrainian officials have repeatedly urged the West to implement a no-fly zone to stop Russia's bombardment of Ukrainian cities, and they reiterated those calls on Friday after Russia's attack on a nuclear power plant.

NATO 'greenlighted' bombing of Ukraine: Zelenskyy

After NATO turned down his request to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine on Friday, Volodymyr Zelenskyy came down heavily on the 30-member alliance.

In a late-night address, Zelenskyy claimed that NATO had greenlighted the bombing of his country by its refusal to close the airspace. Holding NATO responsible for every new death that will take place in Ukraine as a result of Russia's shelling, he contended that the international alliance lacked confidence. 

"NATO summit is a very weak and lost summit. At this summit, we saw that not everyone considers the fight for the freedom of Europe its main priority. For 9 days, we have seen a harsh war. Our cities are being destroyed, our people and children, residential areas, churches, schools are being shot. Everything that provides people with a normal life is being shot. They (Russia) want to continue it."

He elaborated, "Knowing that new shelling and victims are inevitable, NATO consciously made the decision to not close the airspace in Ukraine. We believe that NATO member states have themselves created a narrative that the closure of the airspace in Ukraine would provoke direct aggression from Russia against NATO. It is self-induced hypnosis of those who are weak and lack confidence. Even though they can possess arms stronger than ours," he added.

(With inputs from agency)