White House speaks out after Ukrainian President's speech to US Congress
(Baonghean.vn) - US President Joe Biden has not changed his stance on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky's call to establish a no-fly zone, saying that such an action would lead to the risk of a larger-scale war with Russia.
Responding to reporters on March 16, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: "As we have said before, establishing a no-fly zone will require enforcement actions. At that time, we may have to shoot down Russian planes, NATO may have to shoot down Russian planes. We do not want to participate in World War III."
Ms. Psaki made the above statement when asked if President Biden had changed his position on establishing a no-fly zone in Ukraine after President Zelensky once again raised the issue in an online speech to the US Congress on March 16.
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| White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Photo: AP |
Ms. Psaki said that President Biden watched President Zelensky's speech before the US Congress and assessed that this speech was "passionate and powerful" but the US leader made the decision "through the lens of our national security."
President Biden also announced an additional $800 million in aid to Ukraine on March 16 but did not provide military aircraft or change his stance on the no-fly zone.
While some US politicians have called for a more aggressive response to the Ukraine crisis, lawmakers such as Republican Senator Mike Braun and Democratic Representative Emanuel Cleaver warned after Mr. Zelensky's speech that escalating the conflict could lead to a Russia-US war or global war./.