New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered a strong warning to the West that any establishment of a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be interpreted by the Kremlin as "engagement in the military confrontation."
During a meeting with female pilots on Saturday, he stated that Moscow would regard "any step in this direction" as an intervention that "would pose a threat to our military personnel."
“That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict, and it would not matter what members they are,” Putin said.
It follows after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launched a fiery assault on NATO, accusing it of failing to implement a no-fly zone and abandoning his people to perish.
Following NATO's confirmation that it will not provide such aerial support to Ukraine in order to avoid additional war with Russia, Ukraine's leader said that the military alliance had abandoned his country.
It comes after the Mariupol municipal council and Ukraine's presidential office stated that Russian forces were not adhering to the agreed-upon ceasefire throughout the whole length of a path for the evacuation of Ukrainian citizens.
Meanwhile, the State Department of the United States has allowed a jet chartered by the Kremlin to transport out Russian officials at the United Nations who were expelled for abusing their residency privileges.
“This special exception was done in accordance with federal regulations to ensure Russian mission personnel and their families departed by the date we had instructed,” a spokesperson said.