'We are not going to have a military war with Russia with U.S. troops,' said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, making clear that the Biden administration does not plan to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
"A no-fly zone is not a magical umbrella that prevents planes flying in a given area," said one expert."To put in a no-fly zone is to go to war."Emphasizing U.S. President Joe Biden's desire to avoid a war with Russia, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki repeatedly made clear Monday that the administration does not plan to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
Implementation"would require deploying U.S. military to enforce" the no-fly zone , she said. That could lead to a direct conflict and"potentially a war with Russia, which is something we are not planning to be a part of."on Monday, highlighting that an NFZ"would essentially mean the U.S. military would be shooting down planes, Russian planes."
"We are not going to have a military war with Russia with U.S. troops," and Biden believes it is"vitally important" to be direct with the American public about that, the press secretary added.Asked about a potential NFZ on Sunday, Linda Thomas-Greenfield's Dana Bash that"the president has made clear that we're not going to put boots on the ground. We're not going to put American troops in danger.
Russia is an entirely different story. Its air force dwarfs Ukraine's; it is second in size only to the U.S. Air Force. An attempt to impose an NFZ in Ukraine would be nothing like these previous engagements, and it's not even clear that it would be possible.