Prohibit the overflight of Ukraine to prevent the bombing of the Russian army? This has been asking Kyiv for days unsuccessfully Westerners. NATO has officially rejected the creation of a no-fly zone over Ukraine on Friday (March 4th), fearing it would cause a global escalation of the conflict. Explanations of the reasons for this decision.
1What is a no-fly zone?
The establishment of a no-fly zone (or “no-fly zone” in English) must make it possible to prohibit the overflight of an area. This is allowed by Article 42 of the UN Charter. It states that in the event of inadequacy of the first measures taken to maintain or restore international peace and security, “demonstrations, blockade measures and other operations carried out by air, navy or land by members of the United Nations “It simply came to our notice then.
In particular, in the event of the establishment of a “no-fly zone”, aircraft flying over the affected area must seek permission from the institution that carried out the airspace blockade. If the plane breaks the rule, it will be considered an enemy plane and can be shot down. In 2011, the UN Security Council in New York adopted a resolution establishing a no-fly zone over Libya.
2Why did Ukraine make this request?
By requesting the measure, Kyiv hoped for a reprieve from the bombings carried out by the Russian air force, which took control of Ukraine’s skies.
Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, addressed his counterparts during an emergency meeting of the Alliance’s foreign ministers on Friday to call for the establishment of a no-fly zone.
“My message was, ‘Act now before it’s too late.’ Do not allow Putin to turn Ukraine into Syria. “We will continue to fight. But we need partners to help us with concrete, decisive and swift action now,” the minister said on Twitter.
3 Why did NATO refuse to implement it?
Creating a no-fly zone is not just a diplomatic decision. “The only way to introduce a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighters into Ukrainian airspace and then shoot down Russian planes to make it necessary,” he said, “said Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General. , at the end of this meeting.
However, the Alliance flatly refuses to send troops there, both on the ground and in the air, because such a turnaround would be synonymous with escalation. “The Allies have agreed that we should not have NATO planes operating in Ukraine’s airspace or NATO troops on the ground, because we could end in a total war in Europe,” he added, the secretary general explained.
“We have a responsibility to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine. Because it would be even more dangerous, more devastating and would cause even more human suffering. “
Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO
March 4, 2022
Analysis shared by military historian Guillaume Laskonyarias, interviewed by France 24: “This would make the conflict between Russia’s air force and NATO forces literally inevitable.”
The confrontation between NATO and Russian forces would be even more dangerous, as it would pit nuclear forces against each other, with the United States and Russia together controlling about 90 percent of the world’s nuclear warheads, Vox said.
However, NATO has strengthened its defenses to the east by deploying its rapid reaction force for the first time, sending thousands of Alliance troops to the eastern flank and warning more than 130 warplanes and more than 200 ships at sea.