Ukraine President Zelenskyy attacks NATO, accuses it of abandoning Ukraine

Ukraine President Zelenskyy attacks NATO, accuses it of abandoning Ukraine     President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late Friday criticised NA...

Ukraine President Zelenskyy attacks NATO, accuses it of abandoning Ukraine

 

 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy late Friday criticised NATO’s rejection of his appeal for a no-fly zone, saying the move works in favour of Russia’s bombing campaign of his country, Al Jazeera reports.

 

“Today, the leadership of the alliance gave the green light for further bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages, having refused to set up a no-fly zone,” he said in a televised speech.

 

Further criticising NATO’s decision, President Zelenskyy said, “today there was a NATO summit, a weak summit, a confused summit, a summit where it was clear that not everyone considers the battle for Europe’s freedom to be the number one goal.”

 

Putting the guilt of war on NATO, he added that, “all the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you, because of your weakness, because of your lack of unity.”

 

Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of NATO, announced the decision following an urgent meeting of the 30-member alliance in Brussels.

 

He said helping Ukraine protect its skies from Russian missiles and warplanes would require NATO forces to shoot down Russian aircraft, a move that could result in a “full-fledged war in Europe involving many more countries.

 

“We are not part of this conflict,” he said.

 

“We have a responsibility as NATO allies to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine because that would be even more dangerous, more devastating and would cause even more human suffering.”

We are not part of the conflict, NATO is not seeking a war with Russia---NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says.#UkraineRussianWar #natoclosethesky #WorldWarIII pic.twitter.com/chY3MmOEzT

— Emeka Gift Official (@EmekaGift100) March 5, 2022

 

Russia invaded Ukraine by land, sea and air last Thursday, calling it a “special military operation” aimed at ‘de-nazifying’ the country. The 10-day offensive has killed or wounded thousands of people and sent more than one million people seeking refuge across its borders.

 

US stands with NATO

Antony Blinken, the United States’ secretary of state, speaking to reporters after the NATO meeting, said the alliance was committed to “doing everything we can to give the Ukrainian people the means to defend themselves against Russia.”

 

We are not going to get into a war with Russia, but we shall provide Ukrainians means to defend themselves ---United states Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken.#UkraineRussianWar #natoclosethesky #WorldWarIII #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/mRKvR6hJ3Q

— Emeka Gift Official (@EmekaGift100) March 5, 2022

But “we also have a responsibility, as the secretary-general said, to ensure that the war doesn’t spill over even beyond Ukraine,” he said.

 

NATO will continue “to raise the cost for Putin,” he added.

 

“Unless the Kremlin changes course, it will continue down the road of increasing isolation and economic pain.”

 

Western nations have continued to condemn Russia’s invasion, sending arms supplies to Ukraine and imposing the heaviest international economic sanctions against Moscow to date, including on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle.

 

But that has failed to deter President Putin.

 

On Friday, the West and its allies again promised Ukraine more military support as well as more humanitarian aid and more essential supplies.

 

Additionally, G7 countries said they would hold accountable those responsible for war crimes and refuse to recognise any Russian territorial gains.

 

European Union countries said separately that more punishment was coming, after the bloc already cut several Russian lenders from the SWIFT banking system, curbed trade with Moscow and targeted some of the wealth held by Russian oligarchs in the West.

 

It is not clear what more sanctions the EU could agree on, given its reliance on Russian energy supplies, which think tank Eurointelligence said amounted to $700 million daily.

 

“It’s Putin’s war, and only Putin can end it,” said the top EU diplomat, Josep Borrell.

 

“If someone expects that sanctions can stop the war tomorrow, they don’t know what they’re talking about.”