Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is again repeating his pleas for a no-fly zone to be established over his country, which has been battered by Russian military forces for nearly three weeks now.
Zelensky made the comments in a video address on Monday, saying: "If you don't close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian rockets fall on your territory, on NATO territory."
Zelensky's renewed call for control of Ukraine's skies come as an airstrike near the country's border with Poland killed 35 and injured 134 others, NBC News reported.
It also comes as the fourth round of negotiations resume. According to Reuters, peace talks between Ukraine and Russia took a " technical pause" on Monday and are expected to continue on Tuesday. Zelensky, who has been pushing for a face-to-face meeting with Putin, said in his address that his team is still trying to arrange that, as they continue to work in diplomatic negotiations with Russia, CNN reported.
Zelensky first made his request for a no-fly zone over Ukraine just days after Russia began its invasion. Earlier this month, the Ukrainian president appealed directly to U.S. lawmakers for help gaining "control of the skies" in an effort to defend against Russian aggression, The Washington Post reported. He made a similar plea to British lawmakers just days later: "Ensure that our Ukrainian skies are safe," he begged, according to the Wall Street Journal.
NATO has rejected all of Ukraine's no-fly zone requests, warning that any other action could lead to "full-fledged war in Europe," CNN reported. Zelensky has been vocal about the denial, saying NATO has effectively given "a green light" to continue bombing Ukraine by denying his requests.
"All the people who will die starting from this day will also die because of you. Because of your weakness, because of your disunity," Zelensky said, according to Newsweek.
If NATO were to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine, Russia would likely turn its sights on the U.S. or another country in Europe, according to Senator Joni Ernst.
"Once we engage with Russians directly, that does involve all of our NATO partners as well. This gives Russia the opportunity then to attack not only the United States, but also others in Europe," Ernst (R-IA) said on Fox News Sunday. "And it's a very tenuous situation as we sit today. We certainly don't want to see it deteriorate any further."
Ernst said Zelensky was making the right move as Ukraine's president by reaching out and asking for assistance. But she doubled down on her position that Russia should not be directly engaged, saying doing so would be "World War III."
"What we can do is provide all the defensive mechanisms for President Zelensky and his armed services to provide their own protected airspace," Ernst suggested. "And that starts, of course, with providing air platforms to President Zelensky, making sure that those pilots are able to protect their own airspace."
Last week, the U.S. declined an offer from Poland to provide Ukraine with MiG fighter jets to use against invading Russian forces, saying the move would run a "high risk" of escalating the war, the Associated Press reported.
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