Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that Moscow will consider a declaration of Ukraine as a no-fly zone by any third-party as “participation in the armed conflict.”
Driving the news: Russia would view “any move in this direction” as an intervention that “will pose a threat to our service members,” Putin said Saturday, speaking at a meeting with female pilots, AP reports.
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“That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict, and it would not matter what members they are,” Putin said.
The big picture: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western leaders to impose a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine, but the U.S. and other major powers have ruled out doing so as it could trigger a widespread war with nuclear power Russia.
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“It would require, essentially, the U.S. military shooting down Russian planes and causing … a potential direct war with Russia — something we want to avoid,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday in ruling out creating a NFZ.
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NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also said it would not enforce a NFZ.
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“We understand the desperation but we also believe that if we did that (impose a no-fly zone) we would end up with something that could lead to a full-fledged war in Europe involving [many] more countries and much more suffering,” Stoltenberg said.
Go deeper: Why Ukraine wants a no-fly zone — but is unlikely to get one
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