Even though the Russian Air Force has yet to claim air superiority over the skies of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky and numerous other Ukrainian officials have repeatedly begged the United States and NATO to establish a no-fly zone over the war-torn country.
However, according to The Washington Times, that request has been repeatedly denied by both the Biden administration and NATO leaders, for fear of such a situation almost inevitably leading to full-scale war between Russia and the West, likely marking the beginning of World War III.
Though in the short term it would help the people of Ukraine immensely, establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine at this point would likely result in a guaranteed confrontation between NATO and Russian fighter jets.
As soon as the first Russian jet were to be shot down, Russian President Vladimir Putin — who has already issued nuclear threats — would begin targeting NATO countries with strikes.
“It means World War III”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) explained after a Zoom conference call with Zelensky and hundreds of members of Congress that establishing a no-fly zone would be a quick ticket to the next world war.
“Basically, a no-fly zone is — if people understood what it means — it means World War III,” Rubio said. “It means starting World War III. So, I think there are a lot of things we can do to help Ukraine protect itself, both from airstrikes and missile strikes, but I think people need to understand what a no-fly zone means.”
Many others across social media have called for a no-fly zone to help protect innocent civilians in Ukraine, but are clearly unaware of the consequences of such a decision, which would undoubtedly lead to even more death and destruction on a world stage instead of just Ukraine.
At this point, it’s truly a decision of the lesser of two evils, and one of those evils would result in far less death.
Rubio added: “It’s not just — it’s not some rule you pass that everybody has to oblige by. It’s the willingness to shoot down the aircraft of the Russian Federation, which is basically the beginning of World War III.”
There’s still hope
Zelensky had previously said that if NATO and the West won’t do the no-fly zone over his country, then he would at least like a fresh shipment of fighter jets to help fight back, and according to CBS News, that request was finally approved on Sunday by President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
When asked during an interview Sunday on Face the Nation about giving permission to Poland to dispatch fresh fighter jets for Ukrainian pilots to use, Blinken responded, “That gets a green light.”
There still remains a number of logistical challenges in getting the shipment of fighter jets to Ukraine from Poland, but once that’s sorted out, it appears as if Ukraine will once again have a chance to fend off a full-scale invasion from Russia.
