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Putin Says A NATO No Fly Zone Could Lead To Catastrophic Consequences For West

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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.


Russian President Vladimir Putin said he believes that sanctions that have been placed against him and his nation by the West are akin to a declaration of war.

The Russian president said that his goals remained to “demilitarization and de-Nazification” his neighbor nation so that it would be neutral and not a threat, Reuters reported.

“These sanctions that are being imposed are akin to a declaration of war but thank God it has not come to that,” he said to a group of flight attendants at a training center in Moscow for Russian airline Aeroflot.

He said any attempt by another power to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine would be considered by Russia to be a step into the military conflict. Such a step he said would have catastrophic consequences for Europe and the world.

The NATO military alliance has rejected Kyiv’s request for a no-fly zone, on the grounds it would escalate the war beyond Ukraine into a far wider conflict, potentially pitting the United States against Russia.

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Asked about reports that Russian conscripts had been used in Ukraine, Putin said none had been involved and said the military operation was going to plan.

“There is not one conscript and we don’t plan for there to be,” Putin said. “Our army will fulfil all the tasks. I don’t doubt that at all. Everything is going to plan.”

He also dismissed the idea that martial law would be declared in Russia=.

“We don’t plan to introduce any kind of special regime on Russian territory – there is currently no need,” he said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the Western alliance of nations against Russia of behaving like bandits.

“As you understand, there must be a corresponding response to economic banditry,” he said.

“This does not mean Russia is isolated,” he argued. “The world is too big for Europe and America to isolate a country, and even more so a country as big as Russia. There are many more countries in the world.”

He said that many of the nations boycotting Russia now would someday return, but many would find that their places had been taken by other companies from other nations.

“Russia … has an interest in being attractive for investment. Yes, now is hardly a time when we can talk about being attractive for investment, but times change quickly,” the spokesman said.

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“A time of surging economic growth will replace this time. And a time when these same companies will again return to the market, and will be more than interested in catching up on what they’ve missed out on and restoring their positions.

“In some areas, we’ll really wait for them [the companies]. In other places we’ll wait for them less as their places will be taken by companies from other countries,” he said.

The situation has continued to intensify between Western nations and Russia as both tiptoe around the possibility of war.

On Friday, the United States Department of Energy has activated its Nuclear Response Team after a fire, which is now under control, began at the largest nuclear facility in Ukraine in the middle of the conflict between Russian and Ukrainian military forces.

“I just spoke with Ukraine’s energy minister about the situation at the Zaphorizhizia nuclear plant. Russian military operations near the plant are reckless and must cease,” Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said on Twitter.

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.@ENERGY has activated its Nuclear Incident Response Team and is monitoring events in consultation with @DeptofDefense, @NRCgov and the White House. We have seen no elevated radiation readings near the facility,” she said.

“The plant’s reactors are protected by robust containment structures and reactors are being safely shut down,” she said.

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