Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference Thursday that if the U.S. and NATO will not establish a "no-fly" zone over Ukraine, they should provide Ukraine with warplanes to defend itself against Russia's aerial assault.
Why it matters: The U.S. and NATO have said enforcing a "no-fly" zone would potentially require their forces to shoot down Russian aircraft, drawing them directly into a conflict with a nuclear power.
The European Union's foreign policy chief stunned observers when he said last week that EU countries formerly part of the Eastern Bloc would deliver Soviet-era fighter jets that Ukrainian pilots were capable of operating.
That promise appears to have fallen apart, however, as Poland, Bulgaria and Slovakia have said they do not plan to expand the scope of their military aid to Ukraine to include aircraft.
What they're saying: "I say every day if you cannot shut the sky now, then give us the timeline when you will do it? If you now cannot provide the timeline, tell us how many people have to die?" Zelensky asked at a lengthy press conference with reporters in Kyiv.
"Tell me how many. I'll go to count and wait for this moment. I hope the sky will be shut down. If you don't have strength and courage to do that, then give me the planes. Wouldn't that be fair?"
The big picture: Zelensky, who has become a global icon of Ukraine's resistance, acknowledged the fear that comes from Vladimir Putin's threats to his life, his family and his country.
"I feel pain as anybody else," Zelensky said. "It would not be normal not to."
"I don’t want Ukraine’s history to be a legend about 300 Spartans," he added. "I want peace."
Go deeper: Get the latest developments on Russia-Ukraine
Sir_Garbus on March 3rd, 2022 at 19:09 UTC »
While I'd love to see Ukraine with a massive airforce of its own and take control of their skies, I wonder at the logistics of actually supplying them with fighter jets?
Does anyone have a stockpile of fighter jets that Ukrainian pilots can fly? If not, is it viable for the pilots to learn a new aircraft in a time span that will make a difference? Does Ukraine have enough fighter pilots to make use of an influx of more jets? Is there anywhere they could actually takeoff/land from left in Ukraine? Do they have the resources to fuel and arm a large amount of fighter aircraft? Do they have anywhere to put the jets on the ground that the Russians wont just send missiles and artillery raining down?
Rievin on March 3rd, 2022 at 18:47 UTC »
Zelenskyy bout to go full bill pullman and fly those damn planes himself.
Edit: Gaines some traction so here's some useful links.
Official wallets to support Ukrainian Army using BTC, ETH, USDT: https://twitter.com/Ukraine/status/1497594592438497282?s=20&t=JGYmvjdj6-RzZfC43DtaIA
Link for bank payments: https://bank.gov.ua/en/news/all/natsionalniy-bank-vidkriv-spetsrahunok-dlya-zboru-koshtiv-na-potrebi-armiyi
Crypto bros always claim they want to use their money for good so here's your chance.
samplestiltskin_ on March 3rd, 2022 at 18:42 UTC »
From the article: