Estonia is now the first NATO country calling for a no-fly zone. Unfortunately, I think the opportunity has passed (or will, before other countries realize it was a good idea). It's one thing to do a no-fly zone over friendly territory, but Russia now has ground forces in Western Ukraine, so a no-fly would be a whole lot more complicated and much less effective.
Well first off one we don't know if the PRC is actually going to help Russia or even for sure if a request has actually been made. For that matter there are PRC businesses following sanctions even though the CCP condemns them. So it's not like the PRC can do anything it wants. Also it seems like Putin can do what he wants and we're not responding, yet, because unlike Putin we actually care about the safety of our troops and population and of those of the other NATO countries. We've already seen what happens when we send troops in without serious consideration of the the consequences or on less than absolutely clear terms. We end up bogged down in Sunni Triangle and the mountains of Afghanistan. We end up with thousands of troops dead, thousands more with lost limbs and brain injuries, and thousands more suffering PTSD so bad they take their own lives. And again that is facing enemies without nukes, or even air power, armor, and artillery. Yes Putin as an authoritarian who is more concerned about his own legacy than the well being of his own people can dictate a lot of terms. We as a democracy don't have that luxury.
We are involved. The very fact that we are sending warnings to China not to give military assistance to China and it tanked their stock market shows how powerful our words are still in the world. We told Putin if he invaded Ukraine there would be punishing sanctions and we have delivered. We have been training Ukraine troops and have supplied them with military aid - definitely not a parameter Putin has set or wanted. We are not dictators of the world. We can not tell Putin who and who he can not invade to a large extent anymore than Putin can tell us we can't invade Afghanistan or Iraq. We can tell him not to invade Georgia. We can not dictate what every country does. We are not sending troops or aircrafts because what Putin says, but because of our own military assessments of different scenarios that could play out. And we've avoid direct engagement with Russian forces since the beginning of the cold war (thus the name), and they have done the same. It's not up to us whether Finland and Sweden can join NATO - it's up to them! It's their decision whether or not to apply.
Parliament of NATO Member Estonia Calls for No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine - News From Antiwar.com Parliament of NATO Member Estonia Calls for No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine If the US and NATO enforced a no-fly zone, it would mean direct fighting with Russia, which risks nuclear war by Dave DeCamp Posted onMarch 14, 2022CategoriesNewsTagsEstonia, Russia, Ukraine On Monday, Estonia’s parliament, known as the Riigikogu, formally called for a no-fly zone to be implemented over Ukraine, a move that would require direct fighting with Russia. The statement released by the Riigikogu makes Estonia the first NATO member to have an official body endorse the idea of a no-fly zone. “The Riigikogu asks the UN member states to take immediate steps to establish a no-fly zone in order to prevent massive civilian casualties in Ukraine,” the Riigikogu said in a statement. If the US and NATO imposed a no-fly zone over Ukraine, the Western powers would need to shoot down Russian planes and bomb surface-to-air missiles that are inside Russia. Despite the clear risk of war between the US and Russia quickly turning nuclear, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pleading with the West to “close the sky” over Ukraine, and even a few members of Congress are in favor of the idea. While the idea of NATO implementing a no-fly zone is gaining steam, many proponents don’t seem to understand that it would mean direct conflict with Russia. In a poll of Americans taken by CBS News, 59% of the people asked were in favor of implementing a no-fly zone and only 41% opposed. When told a no-fly zone means the US directly engaging Russian warplanes and would be considered an act of war, support dropped significantly, with 38% in favor and 62% opposed. So far, the Biden administration has held firm on its position that the US will not go into Ukraine to fight Russia directly. President Biden said on Friday that if US forces entered the conflict, it would mean World War III. But Biden is still risking provoking Russia by flooding Ukraine with weapons, sharing intelligence with Ukrainian forces, and steadily increasing crushing economic sanctions.
China's definitely being two-faced (no surprise). Projecting impartiality to the world, but 100% bought into Russia propaganda with the messaging to its own citizens:
There are many in the PRC and on social media that strongly support what Russia is doing. Anyway PRC rhetoric especially for internal consumption is usually more bombastic than what their government actually does. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/04/...tion=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article As an authoritarian state though I would look far more at what their government and major businesses do as an indication of what direction the PRC will take than rhetoric.
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