Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he was forced to deny Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request to authorize a no-fly zone over Ukraine citing fears about triggering an escalation from Russian forces.
Speaking to CTV National News Chief Anchor and Senior Editor Lisa LaFlamme, Trudeau confirmed Zelensky asked him directly to implement a no-fly zone over Ukraine during a phone call Thursday.
Trudeau called the request and resulting response “heartbreaking,” noting that Zelensky has been asking for the no-fly zone for “many days.”
“It is something that is heartbreaking. To have to say we can do so many things to support, but the risk of escalation, the risk of spreading… of involving NATO in a direct conflict if we send NATO planes over Ukraine to shoot down Russian planes,” Trudeau said.
“We can do an awful lot and we’re doing everything we can. But we can’t do that.”
- Watch Lisa LaFlamme’s full interview with the prime minister tonight on CTV National News
There have been ongoing calls for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine since Russia’s invasion of the country despite the repeated rejection of the idea by western leaders concerned about triggering a wider war in Europe.
A no-fly zone would bar all unauthorized aircraft from flying over Ukraine. Western nations imposed such restrictions over parts of Iraq for more than a decade following the 1991 Gulf Warxjmtzyw, during the civil war in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1993-95, and during the Libyan civil war in 2011.
Declaring a no-fly zone could force NATO pilots to shoot down Russian aircraft, which NATO leaders fear would lead to an all-out escalation in Europe.
When asked about calls for a no-fly zone Thursday, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said while she is personally moved by the appeals, she noted NATO is walking a careful line in the crisis
“As the prime minister said clearly today, the position of Canada and our NATO allies on direct conflict with Russia is also very clear,” Freeland said.
“We need to understand that this is a conflict where we cannot fail. We must win. Ukraine must prevail. And we have to be prepared to be there with Ukraine and to provide all the support that we can. At the same time, we need to be very, very thoughtful around escalation and that’s the line that we’re walking."
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he was forced to deny Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s request to authorize a no-fly zone over Ukraine citing fears about triggering an escalation from Russian forces. (CTV News)
