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President Iohannis: Imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine cannot be done practically
President Klaus Iohannis stated, on Thursday, that imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine cannot be done practically, as NATO does not desire a military conflict with the Russian Federation, mentioning that Romania has rallied to this clear position.
"NATO does not desire a military conflict with the Russian Federation. NATO desires to perform whatever may be performed to not allow the war to extend beyond the borders it is currently in. The measures that NATO has taken, that the European Union has taken are of the economic sanction type. As a consequence, the imposition of a no-fly zone cannot be done practically, as such a no-fly zone can only be imposed militarily and we do not want to create the premises for the extension of the armed conflict in Ukraine. This position is very clear and Romania has rallied to this position," said Iohannis, asked on the topic at the joint press conference held together with Estonian President Alar Karis at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.
The President of Estonia stated, in his turn, that imposing such a no-fly zone is a "difficult matter".
He went on to say that while the Estonian Parliament adopted a statement in support of such a measure, the matter is difficult, as it would involve NATO and Russia coming in direct contact, which is something that is not desirable at this time. He also stated his belief that at some point such a zone may have to be instituted.
The Parliament of Estonia (Riikokogu) has requested the institution of a no-fly zone over Ukraine and encouraged the European Union and NATO to consolidate the alliance with this country. The request was adopted with 90 votes for out of a possible 101 (number of MP seats).