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NATO countries will not impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, despite requests from some in Ukraine.
Secretary Jens Stoltenberg called it a “painful decision”, saying NATO had a responsibility not to escalate the conflict by engaging Russian forces directly in Ukraine, on the ground or in the air.
The imposition of a no-fly zone will include NATO planes in Ukraine, which would potentially shoot down Russian planes, Stoltenberg said on Friday. President Biden’s administration also ruled out a similar move, saying “it will not happen.”
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“We understand despair, but we also believe that if we do, we will end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe, involving many more countries and causing much more human suffering,” he said.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg answers questions from reporters on Friday 4 March 2022 (NATO)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this week that the West should consider a no-fly zone, and Ukrainian MP Lesya Vasylenko said Friday that the no-fly zone is “the only thing we need NOW.”
The war in Ukraine is likely to be “worse” in the coming days, “with more deaths, more suffering and more destruction as the Russian armed forces introduce heavier weapons and continue their attacks across the country,” Stoltenberg said.
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NATO is strengthening its ties with non-member countries Finland and Sweden, Stoltenberg said. He condemned Russia’s attack on a nuclear power plant in Ukraine, calling it “reckless”.
This image, taken from a video published by the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, shows a landing of a bright flaming object at the Enerhodar nuclear power plant, Ukraine on Friday, March 4, 2022. Russian forces shelled Europe’s largest nuclear power plant early Friday. causing a fire as they pushed their attack on an important Ukrainian energy-producing city and forced themselves into trying to pull the country out of the sea. (Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant via AP)
The head of the International Atomic Energy Administration said that no radiation was released during the attack and that the fire at the plant was extinguished.