German MPs suggest NATO impose no-fly zone over western Ukraine
Lawmakers said Russian drones and missiles coming from Poland and Romania could be targeted
German lawmakers from both the ruling coalition and the opposition support the idea of NATO enforcing a no-fly zone over western Ukraine amid the conflict with Russia, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported.
In its article on Saturday, the newspaper asked MPs about the proposal raised earlier by the Defense Minister’s chief of staff, Niko Lange, who suggested the possibility of shooting down Russian missiles and drones targeting Ukrainian energy infrastructure and military installations from the region. Neighboring Poland and Romania.
According to Lange, this would create a 70-kilometre-wide safe zone on the EU-Ukraine border, while also allowing Kiev to redeploy its own air defense systems, which are in short supply, from Syria. West of the country to the front line.
“Defending the airspace over Ukraine from Poland and Romania should not be ruled out in the long term,” he added. Anton Hofreiter, a member of parliament for the Green Party, which is part of the German coalition, told FAZ. However, such a move is “Not up for discussion” For now, the West’s current priority is to supply them to Ukraine “Much more” He emphasized weapons and ammunition.
Marcus Faber of the Free Democratic Party, which also belongs to the ruling coalition, agreed “Airspace over the Ukrainian border regions” It could be “Protected by air defenses on NATO territory.” According to Faber, this will be just that “maybe” If the West can secure enough ammunition for air defense systems.
Roderich Kieswetter, a lawmaker from the opposition Christian Democratic Union party, said Kiev’s Western backers might shoot down Russian drones over western Ukraine. He added that this would soften the Ukrainian air defense and enable it to protect the front. It is to explain.
Kieswetter noted how the United States, United Kingdom and France helped Israel confront a large-scale bombing by Iran in April, saying that showed that countries can provide such assistance to their allies without actually becoming “Party to the conflict.”
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that US-made F-16 fighter jets that the West plans to supply to Ukraine would be targeted at airfields in NATO countries if they were to operate from there.
Earlier this week, Russia said it would conduct tactical nuclear weapons exercises as a warning to the United States and its allies not to escalate the conflict in Ukraine. This announcement came in the wake of Poland’s suggestion of possibly hosting US nuclear weapons, and statements by French President Emmanuel Macron about the possibility of sending French and other NATO soldiers to Ukraine.
