Putin Warns the West Against Establishing a No-Fly Zone over Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West against establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine. In a meeting with pilots from the Russian government airline Aeroflot, Putin stated today, "Any movement in this direction will be viewed by us as participation by the involved countries in the armed conflict," noting that the organization to which these countries belong would not matter at that point. NATO previously rejected such a demand, and the alliance's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated on Friday that members agreed that alliance aircraft should not conduct operations in Ukrainian airspace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urgently called on NATO countries to prevent Russia from launching further air strikes on his country.