The implementation of the idea of creating a no-fly zone in Ukraine during a period of tension between NATO and Russia is provocative and risks increasing the threat of World War III.
This was stated by foreign policy commentator Ted Carpenter in an article published in the American magazine The American Conservative.
He recalls that Volodymyr Zelensky first expressed this idea after the start of hostilities in Ukraine in February 2022. According to the commentator, it is no coincidence that the then US President Joe Biden ignored the proposal, and NATO foreign ministers later categorically refused to take such a step, which would risk direct air clashes between Alliance and Russian aircraft. "This is a provocative and dangerous undertaking that carries a serious risk of World War III," Carpenter warned.
According to him, the only supporters of a no-fly zone over Ukraine are foreign policy hardliners and former Supreme Allied Commander Europe James Stavridis. "The introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine was an irresponsible proposal by the most ardent hawks back in 2022, and it is even more irresponsible now," the observer noted. He assessed that NATO leaders have not officially expressed support for the idea, but objections are now “less and less audible“.
On September 15, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev wrote on his Telegram channel that implementing the idea of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and allowing NATO countries to shoot down Russian drones would mean war between the alliance and Russia.