Republican Senator Roger Wicker is advocating that the U.S. impose a no-fly-zone over Ukraine, a scenario that would likely require American pilots to engage directly with Russian fighter jets, escalating the crisis from a regional to a potentially global conflict.
Under this arrangement, U.S. jets would be forced to shoot down Russian planes that violate the no-fly zone, meaning an effective American declaration of war on Russia. Combined, the two nations harbor 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.
“Clearly, in the absence of a U.N. resolution, which Russia would veto, a strong coalition of like-minded nations should step in and seriously consider [imposing a no fly zone],” Wicker told HuffPost on Monday.
While President Biden has committed to defending Ukraine in an auxiliary capacity, keeping Americans troops out of the quagmire, Wicker criticized him Monday for taking “options off the table, including close air support” to help the underdog Ukraine in its fight against a better equipped Russian military.
As the war to counter Russian invasion enters its sixth day, a defiant Ukrainian resistance has prevented the invaders from entering its major cities, though they have yet to meet the full range of Russia’s offensive capabilities. Ukrainian officials have urged the U.S. and its NATO alllies to impose a no-fly-zone, arguing that they can hold out on the ground if they’re provided with air support. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked members of NATO to “close the skies.”
However, there’s not much appetite for such military action in the U.S., including in the Biden administration.
“That is definitely escalatory, that would potentially put us in a place where we are in a military conflict with Russia. That is not something [Biden] wants to do,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki told MSNBC about the idea. “Those are all the reasons why that’s not a good idea.”
Much of the GOP has recognized the dangerous implications of a no-fly zone, proposing instead financial warfare via crippling sanctions designed to squeeze Russia out of the global economy, cutting off its cash flow and trade, and inflicting pain that triggers an anti-war uprising capable of pressuring Putin to acquiesce.
“They’re not a NATO country, as much as we want to help them. I don’t think we can get in a situation where we’re almost asking for engagement,” Senator Roy Blunt told HuffPost Monday.
Senator Marco Rubio didn’t mince words, telling the outlet, “That would mean World War III.”
Some Democrats are on the same page, with Senator Chris Murphy tweeting, “Let’s just be clear what that is – the U.S. and Russia at war. It’s a bad idea and Congress would never authorize it.”
“Military equipment for Ukraine, humanitarian support for Ukraine, crippling sanction on Russia, movement of U.S. troops to the eastern flank of NATO – these are all the right moves,” he said. “But direct war between the world’s two nuclear powers should be a non-starter.”
While many Republicans in Congress oppose direct U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Wicker is joined by Representative Adam Kinzinger, who on Twitter said the U.S. should “declare a #NoFlyZone over Ukraine” and help level the battle field to “give the heroic Ukrainians a fair fight.”
Forty-four percent of Democrats believe Biden has not gone far enough to punish Russia for its attack on Ukraine, while 47 percent of Democrats say the response has been sufficient, according to a recent Quinnipiac poll. Meanwhile, 80 percent of Republicans believe Biden hasn’t gone far enough, while only 11 percent of Republicans say the response has been “about right.” The survey did not provide a breakdown for types of retaliation, whether economic or military.
Russia has conducted air strikes and artillery shelling on residential areas in major cities such as Kharkiv in recent days, killing many civilians, as a 40-mile long convoy of Russian armored vehicles advance toward the capital city of Kyiv. Ukraine continues to defend its territory in the skies, downing Russian planes and so far preventing them from achieving air superiority. But the next phase of the war is predicted to be harder for the Ukrainians, depending on the resolve of Russian President Vladimir Putin to press on until he gets what he likely wants: a submissive Ukraine with a puppet regime installed.