Vladimir Putin warns world of ‘colossal’ consequences if no-fly zone imposed

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday warned countries against imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying that parties doing so would be considered to be in conflict with Moscow.

“Any movement in this direction will be considered by us as participation in an armed conflict by that country,” said the 69-year-old at a meeting with employees of state-owned airline Aeroflot, which announced the cancellation of almost all international flights from March 8.

Putin went on to say that the imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine would result in “colossal and catastrophic consequences not only for Europe but also the whole world.”

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The Russian President’s warning comes a day after Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the West for their hesitation to impose a no-fly zone over the eastern European country.

“NATO has deliberately decided not to cover the skies over Ukraine,” Zelensky said on Friday in a Facebook post.

“We believe that NATO countries have created a narrative that closing the skies over Ukraine would provoke Russia’s direct aggression against NATO. This is the self-hypnosis of those who are weak, insecure inside, despite the fact they possess weapons many times stronger than we have,” the 44-year-old added, criticising the inaction of the West.

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Zelensky also appealed for Western intervention on Twitter, saying, “Nuclear terrorism requires decisive action in response. At the #UN Security Council meeting, we called for closing the sky over (Ukraine) and launching an operation to maintain peace and security. The goal is to save hazardous facilities. The world must not watch, but help!”

Despite repeated calls by Ukraine for a no-fly zone, Western nations and NATO have thus far refused to give in, and have said that the imposition of a no-fly zone over Ukraine could trigger a direct military confrontation with Russia.