Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov again criticized NATO for its refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying in a video message published on Sunday that “insufficient responses to the killings, shelling and missile attacks on apartment buildings, hospitals and kindergartens.”
third world war
Experts attribute the delay in the decision on the part of NATO to several reasons, most notably the fear of a recurrence of the third world war, as well as the lack of readiness on the part of the member states to implement it at the present time.
In the opinion of the strategic expert and director of the European Center for Studies Jassim Muhammad, the ban on flying in Ukraine’s airspace against Russian aviation may be an adventure in a direct military conflict with Russia that could escalate into a global war with a nuclear-armed superpower.
In a statement to “Sky News Arabia”, Mohammed says that declaring a no-fly zone may force NATO pilots to shoot down Russian planes, but the matter goes beyond that, in addition to combat aircraft, NATO will have to deploy refueling tankers and electronic control planes to support the mission to protect these slow planes. Relatively high-flying, NATO would have to destroy surface-to-air missile batteries in Russia and Belarus, which could once again lead to a broader conflict.
In the context, US defense officials said that even in the lowest scenarios, the presence of hundreds of aircraft would increase the risk of miscalculation or errors that lead to unintended consequences.
unpreparedness
The director of the European Center points out that the refusal of NATO and the United States to establish a no-fly zone over the skies of Ukraine may be due to the lack of readiness of NATO, because imposing the ban requires normalization mechanisms and continuous monitoring operations, and NATO at the present time is unable to confront any confrontation with Russia by air, land and even sea, surveillance operations need aerial feeding operations and surveillance planes around the clock.
American message
Muhammad says that the American refusal sends a message once again to Russia and Ukraine as “the United States and NATO abandon Ukraine”, but there are no doubts so far that NATO is keen to enhance its combat capabilities in the countries neighboring to Ukraine.
The European expert believes that Russia’s goals remain at this stage centered on the annexation of the eastern parts of Ukraine to Russia, and the formation of a new government in Kyiv loyal to Russia, ensuring that Ukraine does not join NATO.
Since the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war on March 24, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on NATO to implement a no-fly zone over his country, a matter reiterated by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
On the other hand, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg ruled out the establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, justifying that NATO fighters should not enter Ukrainian airspace, or NATO forces on Ukrainian soil because this would mean shooting down Russian planes, which could cause a full-fledged war. pillars in Europe.
The statements of members of the alliance agreed with the Secretary-General. The US State Department confirmed that the support provided to Ukraine is supplies and equipment, without mentioning the implementation of the flight ban.
A few days ago, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace stressed that the flight ban needs Western air forces, which may lead to air battles with Russian fighters, noting that the ban will harm Ukraine; It also prevents Ukrainian planes from flying, allowing Russia to move freely as it relies on missiles and missiles that will not be affected by the flight ban.