Putin's Warnings: 'Not To Escalate' Ukraine Crisis, NATO Rules Out No-Fly Zone

Putin warns neighbors ‘not to escalate’ Ukraine crisis; NATO rules out no-fly zone

AGENCIES and TOI STAFF

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday urged Russia’s neighbors “not to escalate” the crisis in Ukraine, more than one week after Moscow invaded the country.

“There are no bad intentions towards our neighbors. And I would also advise them not to escalate the situation, not to introduce any restrictions. We fulfill all our obligations and will continue to fulfill them,” Putin said in televised remarks, according to Reuters.

“We do not see any need here to aggravate or worsen our relations. And all our actions, if they arise, they always arise exclusively in response to some unfriendly actions, actions against the Russian Federation,” he added.

Separately, the Kremlin urged Russians to rally around Putin.

“Now is not the time to be divided,” the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov tells reporters, responding to a question on pleas from public figures to end the war.

“Now is the time to unite, to unite around our president.”

Since Russia sent ground troops into Ukraine last week following a plea from separatist leaders, Russian public figures have been divided on the operation.

“Yes, indeed, there are heated debates among cultural figures,” Peskov said.

The Kremlin’s spokesman said Putin had no immediate plans to speak with US President Joe Biden about the conflict, and said any contact between Russian and Ukraine officials should be through conflict negotiators, not leaders.

“Now is not the time,” he said in response to a question about a possible meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the military organization will not police a no-fly zone over Ukraine, warning that such a move could end in a widespread war in Europe.

Speaking after chairing a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, Stoltenberg said “we are not going to move into Ukraine, neither on the ground, nor in the Ukrainian airspace.”

Putin’s forces have ramped up their attacks in Ukraine, launching hundreds of missiles and artillery strikes on cities and making significant gains in the south.

Zelensky has appealed to the West to enforce a no-fly zone over his country, most recently after a fire overnight at one of Ukraine’s nuclear plants, the largest in Europe.

“The only way to implement a no-fly zone is to send NATO fighter planes into Ukrainian airspace, and then impose that no-fly zone by shooting down Russian planes,” Stoltenberg said. “We understand the desperation, but we also believe that if we did that, we would end up with something that could end in a full-fledged war in Europe.”

“We have a responsibility as NATO allies to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine,” he said.

Stoltenberg warned that “the days to come are likely to be worse, with more death, more suffering, and more destruction as Russian armed forces bring in heavier weaponry and continue their attacks across the country.”

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