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Closing the skies is a key aspect that Ukraine needs to change its position in the war against the Russian aggressor. This is what we need to talk about as much as possible, so that NATO countries are finally ready to give the opportunity to close the skies over Ukraine. This was stated during a briefing in Lviv by the Adviser to the Head of the President’s Office Mykhailo Podoliak.
Although NATO Secretary General Jens Stotenberg said today that the Alliance will not close the skies and send troops to Ukraine, the President’s Office believes that this position is not final and that Western partners must change their minds.
«Today is one thing. At the beginning of the war, our Western partners said that they would not give us weapons, including the Germans. Today, we have the support of weapons from all over the world. In seven days, everything has changed significantly, philosophy is changing, because it is a challenge to civilization. The Russian Federation is not at war with Ukraine, it is at war with the rules of life in this civilization. All countries must reach the stage where they will fully understand all the risks associated with the behaviour of Russia and give us the opportunity to close the sky. We don’t need anything more from them. Close the sky, and then we will see if Russia is ready to fight,» – Podoliak said.
He is convinced that this aspect is the most important and necessary in Ukraine’s war with Russia. Ukrainians pay the highest price for freedom, and the whole world has already understood this. According to Mykhailo Podoliak, if NATO member states resolve the issue of closing the skies over Ukraine within one or two days, then Ukraine’s position in the negotiations will change significantly, as well as the situation in the country, people will stop fearing that something will fall from above.
It will be recalled that on March 4, the NATO emergency meeting in Brussels raised the issue of establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine, but the Allies did not agree on this step. Also yesterday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi again called on the West to close the skies over Ukraine. During a press conference in Kyiv, he spoke emotionally about the reluctance of Western countries to help Ukraine protect itself from the airstrikes of the Russian aggressor.
Yulia Osym
Translated by Vitalii Holich
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