Some in Congress want the U.S. to launch a no-fly zone over Ukraine – something President Joe Biden has rejected so far.
On Sunday, a member of Ukraine’s parliament said his country needed planes in the skies above the Russian invasion. But, he added, Ukrainians would fly them.
Member of Parliament Alexey Goncharenko told Newsmax on Saturday that he recently held a Zoom meeting with more than 50 U.S. members of Congress, Republicans, and Democrats.
“I asked them to support us with air defense systems, with [gasoline], with aircraft you can give to us,” Goncharenko told Newsmax.
“We have wonderful pilots. We don’t need your boots on the ground. We don’t need your pilots in our sky also, but we can do everything else [ourselves]. But please help us, provide us with aircraft, with air defense systems, with weapons.”
He said Ukrainians are fighting Russian tanks with Molotov cocktails. “That is something heroic,” he added. “But they can do much more if they will be really armed.”
One who agrees with Goncharenko is U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
On Sunday, the Florida Republican, who sits on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, told ABC News that he generally favors providing Ukraine aircraft.
But, Rubio added, “A no-fly zone means World War III.” Rubio said there are options to help Ukraine protect itself both from airstrikes and missile strikes.”
“People need to understand what a no-fly zone means. It’s not a rule you pass that everybody has to oblige by. It’s the willingness to shoot down the aircraft of Russia, which is the beginning of World War III.”
One who agrees with Rubio is Russian President Vladimir Putin.
On Saturday, according to Fox News, Putin said a no-fly zone is “impossible to do from Ukrainian territory — it can only be done from the territory of other states.” Accordingly, “any moves in such direction will be seen by us as participation in an armed conflict by the country that will create threats to our servicemen,” Putin added.
“That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict, and it would not matter what members they are,” Putin continued.
The Russian dictator also signaled that the “realization” of a no-fly zone would “bring catastrophic results not only to Europe but to the whole world.”
Rubio also said the world was “entering the most dangerous part of this conflict.”
As Putin “begins to realize he can’t make the tactical advances he wants to make, I think he’ll do things that are cataclysmic,” Rubio said.
“I hope I’m wrong. I hope I wake up tomorrow there’s been a great negotiation and peace is here and people can get humanitarian aid and the shelling will stop. That’s what my heart hopes for,” the senator continued.
“What I know about this man and know about Russia and know about his history tells me we have some way to go before we reach that. It’s not going to be a pretty journey to that point. There’s not a lot of good options right now, unfortunately.”
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