UK rejects call for Ukraine no-fly zone, says it would put NATO in direct conflict with Russia

Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arrives at 10 Downing Street, in London, September 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Britain's Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arrives at 10 Downing Street, in London, September 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

LONDON — Britain’s deputy prime minister again rejects calls for NATO to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying it would risk widening the war by putting the alliance in direct conflict with Russian forces.

Dominic Raab tells Sky News that Britain instead is pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin to change course by working with other countries to ratchet up sanctions and investigate war crimes during the conflict.

“We’re not going to (impose a no-fly zone) because it would put us in a position where we would have to enforce it by, in effect, shooting down Russian planes,” Raab says in an interview with Sky.

The comments came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked NATO to impose a complete no-fly zone for Russian airplanes, helicopters and missiles.

The UK Ministry of Defense says Russia has failed to gain control of the skies over Ukraine, forcing it to shift to night operations to reduce its losses.

Russian forces have “made little progress” in their advance on the capital, Kyiv, over the past 24 hours probably because of logistical difficulties, the ministry says.

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