"Why a no-fly zone is unlikely in Ukraine"

[left-of-center2012]

A no-fly zone would bar all unauthorized aircraft from flying over Ukraine.

Why won’t NATO take this step in Ukraine?

In simple terms, because it would risk a direct military conflict with Russia that could escalate into a wider European war with a nuclear-armed superpower.
While the idea may have captured the public imagination, declaring a no-fly zone could force NATO pilots to shoot down Russian aircraft.

But it goes beyond that. In addition to fighter planes, NATO would have to deploy refueling tankers and electronic-surveillance aircraft to support the mission. To protect these relatively slow, high-flying planes, NATO would have to destroy surface-to-air missile batteries in Russia and Belarus, again risking a broader conflict.

“The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighter planes into Ukrainian airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes,” NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said Friday. “We understand the desperation, but we also believe that if we did that, we would end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe.”

“We have a responsibility as NATO allies to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine,” he said.

https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-technology-business-western-europe-feb816497f0f538b4b17ca7583cb072a

[Emile]

3. There you go again, calling fellow duers Putin trolls.

[Kaleva]

7. Same guy?

[Emile]

8. Yes, under the OP titled: This is Ukraine's fight.

[Kaleva]

9. I had alerted on that post

[kentuck]

2. At this time, the best "no-fly zone" is the Stinger missile.

Russia knows that.

The Ukrainians are being supplied with Stinger missiles and Javelin anti-tank weapons.

[gab13by13]

4. I agree but,

Russia is bringing in bombers that Stinger missiles can't reach. Putin is sociopathic monster. Putin is going to do what he has done in the past, reduce Ukraine to rubble.

I now believe that we should move to prevent Russia from exporting its oil and gas. We have the capabilities to do that. I'm not only talking about the US not buying from Russia but stopping everyone else also. Yes, it is a tough decision because gas will go to $7 a gallon, but it may be a way to prevent people from dying. It is a hard choice because president Biden bear the brunt of it.

60% of Russia's exports are from oil and gas.

[kentuck]

5. At one time, Russia had a problem with Ukraine diverting natural gas from their pipelines...

...that went thru Ukraine.

[gab13by13]

6. I remember that Hillary wanted to help Ukraine

develop its own natural gas to sell to Europe and cut out Russia. I guess Ukraine also has a huge deposit of a mineral that is used in making computer chips.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. Putin likens sanctions to a 'declaration of war,' says invasion pushback risks future of Ukrainian s

According to Putin, a no-fly zone will be a declaration of war on Russia

Link to tweet

The United States, Britain and others have so far ruled out supporting a no-fly zone, stating that it would be likely to severely escalate the conflict.

But Putin went one step further Saturday, saying that any countries enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be considered “participants in a military conflict.” The Russian president claimed that his country would see “any movement in this direction” as an intervention in its military operations in Ukraine that would “pose a threat to our service members.”

“We’ll instantly view them as participants in a military conflict,” Putin said.