Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Saturday that Moscow would view any nation contemplating imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine as engaging in an “armed conflict.” al-jazeera reports.
“Any movement in this direction will be considered by us as participation in an armed conflict by that country,” Putin said during a meeting with Aeroflot employees.
He said a no-fly zone would have “colossal and catastrophic consequences not only for Europe but for the whole world.”
President Putin’s warning came just hours after NATO rejected Ukraine’s request for a no-fly zone. The alliance said granting such a request could drag all of Europe into war.
According to Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, “we are not part of this conflict”.
A decision that the president of Ukraine, Vlodomyr Zelenskyy, has criticized for giving Russia the green light to continue invading his country.
“Today, the alliance leadership gave the green light for further bombing of Ukrainian cities and towns, having refused to establish a no-fly zone,” he said.
Russia invaded Ukraine by land, sea and air last Thursday, calling it a “special military operation” aimed at “denazifying” the country. The 10-day offensive killed or injured thousands of people and sent more than a million people seeking refuge across Ukraine’s borders.
According to the United Nations, more than 1.2 million people have fled from Ukraine to neighboring countries. The numbers could increase in the coming days.