Ukraine’s president has grown increasingly frustrated by what he sees as a lack of action to counter Russia’s direct aggression.
Increasingly frustrated with what he sees as a lack of action by the West, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused his allies of sharing responsibility for the casualties.
“While the Russians were held responsible for the murders, the responsibility was shared by those who, during their 13 days in their Western office, were unable to pass a clearly necessary decision, who not save our cities from these bombs and missiles – even though they could,” Zelenskyy was quoted as saying by the Kyiv Independent newspaper on Tuesday.
Zelensky: “While the Russians were held accountable for the murders, the responsibility shared by those who spent 13 days in their Western office was unable to pass a decision that was clearly necessary, who didn’t save our cities from these bombs and missiles – even though they could.”
– Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) March 8, 2022
Some cities and air base in Ukraine have been bombed, shelled or hit by ballistic missiles since Russia launched full-scale invasion on February 24th.
Moscow has called the operation it launched on February 24 a “special military operation”, saying it has no plans to occupy Ukraine, which was once part of the Soviet Union under Moscow’s command. but has now turned to the West and is looking for NATO and European Union Members.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on Western powers to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine to prevent further Russian attacks.
“We repeat every day: close the sky over Ukraine. Zelenskyy said Sunday closed to all Russian missiles, to Russian warplanes, to all their terrorists.
“If you don’t, if you don’t give us at least planes so we can protect ourselves, there’s only one thing to conclude: you want us to be killed very slowly.”
The Ukrainian Air Force consists of aging Soviet-era MiG-29 and Sukhoi-27 jets, used for air combat or to support ground troops, and the heavier Sukhoi-25 jet to destroy ground targets, as assessed by the Military Balance of the International Institute. for Strategic Studies (IISS).
These are the only planes in which Ukrainian pilots can fly immediately without further training – neither NATO nor any European ally has shown any interest in participating directly and risks being seen by Moscow as an ally. combat team.
NATO rejected Ukraine’s call for a no-fly zone, leading to fierce criticism from Zelenskyy, who said the move green light for Russia’s bombing campaign.
NATO head Jens Stoltenberg announced the decision on Saturday following an emergency meeting of the 30-member alliance in Brussels.
He said helping Ukraine to protect its skies from Russian missiles and warplanes would require NATO forces to shoot down the Russian plane, a move that could lead to “an all-out war in Europe with many more national”.
“We are not part of this conflict,” he said.
The Biden administration has also denied such a move.
Officials and experts have warned of the potential for escalation if the US gets directly involved in the war, which has seen more than two million people flee to date.
