Eva Deschamps / March 5, 2022
Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a war waged by Russian President Vladimir Putin in a deliberate and planned manner against a peaceful country, Nato's secretary-general hammered home after an emergency meeting of allied countries in Brussels on Friday. NATO also rejected the creation of a no-fly zone in Ukraine, despite the request of the Ukrainian president.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky has made a new call for a no-fly zone. This will not make Ukraine safer, said Stoltenberg.
He also stressed that Nato will not intervene in Ukraine. We understand the suffering of Ukrainians, but we will not involve NATO forces in Ukraine, he told a press conference. We will not be part of this conflict. If Nato gets involved in this war, it will only cause more damage, he said.
The head of the Transatlantic Alliance once again called on the Russian president to withdraw his troops from Ukraine and put an end to the war of untold brutality. We call once again for a diplomatic resolution of this conflict, he said.
Nato plans to further strengthen its presence on its eastern flank. Strategic and tactical transport aircraft from several allied countries, including British C-17s, American C-5s, French A330 MRTTs and Polish C-130s, have been ferrying Nato Response Force units and national contributions to sites near the border with Russia.
A new meeting of NATO defense ministers will take place on March 16, according to Mr. Stoltenberg.