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

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.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.