Zelensky asks US Congress for no-fly zone, Putin warns of catastrophic consequences

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asks the US to establish "no-fly zones" to protect Ukraine from Russian airstrikes and stop buying Russian oil and gas. But Russian President Vladimir Putin warns that it would lead to catastrophic consequences.

Zelensky participated in a Zoom call with a bipartisan group of over 280 members of the US Congress on Saturday, where he made these demands. Zelensky also requested additional airplanes for his country.

Both Democrats and Republicans praised the Ukrainian president Zelensky after their virtual meeting and promised to do what they could to assist Ukraine against Russia.

“Honored to hear from @ZelenskyyUa as he takes every measure to defend Ukraine from illegal Russian aggression & Putin’s indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Zelenskyy’s resilience & commitment to the people of Ukraine inspire the world. Proud to stand with you Mr. President,” the Senate Foreign Relations Committee tweeted.

Senator Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), who is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, confirmed that the Ukrainian president had asked for either a no-fly zone over his country’s airspace or planes for Ukraine.

“Ukraine needs airpower urgently and America should send it. Zelensky’s message is simple: ‘close the skies or give us planes.’ Let’s be clear-eyed about our options: A No-Fly Zone means sending American pilots into combat against Russian jets and air defenses — in a battle between nuclear powers that could spiral out of control quickly,” Sasse said.

“But Americans should absolutely send Ukrainians planes, helicopters, and UAVs. Let’s resupply Ukraine’s Air Force today and keep the Ghosts of Kyiv in the skies.”

A no-fly zone is established to stop countries from carrying out attacks over groups of people or flying in certain areas.

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US President Joe Biden has dismissed the notion of no-fly zones because of the risk of “a potential direct war with Russia.”

“The no-fly zone requires implementation. It would require, essentially, the US military shooting down Russian planes and causing or prompting a potential direct war with Russia — the exact step that we want to avoid,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki.

US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the US should supply planes to Ukraine.

“President Zelenskyy made a desperate plea for Eastern European countries to provide Russian-made planes to Ukraine. These planes are very much needed. And I will do all I can to help the administration to facilitate their transfer,” he said in a statement.

A number of senators also noted Zelensky asked for the US to restrict Russian oil and gas imports to cripple Russia’s economy.

“President @ZelenskyyUa said stopping the purchase of Russian oil and gas around the world would be one of the most powerful sanctions possible, ‘even more powerful than SWIFT,’” Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) tweeted.

“.@POTUS, enough is enough. Listen to this brave President and a growing bipartisan group of senators. Block imports of Russian oil and gas TODAY, and produce more oil and gas from America. #StandWithUkraine #BanRussianImports,” he added.

Putin: Sanctions are akin to declaration of war

Putin on Saturday warned that any attempt to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would lead to catastrophic consequences for the world.

He also said that Western sanctions on Russia were akin to a declaration of war.

Putin said his country is defending Russian-speaking communities through the "demilitarisation and de-Nazification" of Ukraine so that their neighbor became neutral and no longer threatened Russia.

"These sanctions that are being imposed are akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that," Putin said.

He warned that any attempt by another power to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would be considered by Russia to be a step into the military conflict.

Putin announced last week a “special military operation” in Ukraine’s Donbas region to “defend people” subjected to "genocide" there against government forces, stressing that Moscow has “no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory.”

Biden called the Russian action an "unprovoked and unjustified attack," and the American media described it as the biggest assault on a European state since World War Two assault by Russia.

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