NATO allies oppose no-fly zone over Ukraine

NATO Foreign Ministers held an extraordinary meeting in Brussels today (4 March) to address the escalating crisis in Ukraine. They were joined by the Foreign Ministers of Finland and Sweden and the European Union High Representative. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed his counterparts in a video message, in which he described the deteriorating humanitarian situation in his country.

After the meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was asked about the request for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, or even a partial no-fly zone over Western Ukraine. Stoltenberg said that while it was mentioned it was agreed that NATO should not operate over Ukrainian airspace: “We believe that if we did that, we'll end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering. So that's the reason why we make this painful decision to impose heavy sanctions and provide significant support, stepping up support that does not involve NATO forces directly in the conflict in Ukraine, either on ground or in their space.”

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