Psaki rules out 'no-fly zone' over Ukraine because it could lead to war between the US and Russia

• Psaki on Monday said that the US will not be implementing a no-fly zone in Ukraine.
• A no-fly zone would effectively amount to a declaration of war, Psaki said.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday ruled out the idea of using US troops to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine amid the Russian invasion of the eastern European country, saying it could lead to a war between the US and Russia.

Psaki said during an interview with MSNBC that a no-fly zone would require "implementation by the US military — it would essentially mean the US military would be shooting down planes, Russian planes."

—MSNBC (@MSNBC) February 28, 2022

"That is definitely escalatory, that would potentially put us in a place where we are in a military conflict with Russia. That is not something [President Joe Biden] wants to do," Psaki said. "Those are all the reasons why that's not a good idea."

Psaki added, "We are not going to have a military war with Russia with US troops."

The US and Russia are both nuclear powers, and a war between them could potentially be catastrophic. This is why both the US and NATO have ruled out sending in troops to fight Russia and have pushed against calls from Ukraine for a no-fly zone.

The Biden administration's firm stance against sending US troops into Ukraine to defend it against Russia extends to the creation of a no-fly zone.

"We're not going to put American troops in danger. That means we're not going to put American troops in the air as well, but we will work with the Ukrainians to give them the ability to defend themselves," Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, told CNN on Sunday.

The US has provided Ukraine with billions in security assistance since Russia last invaded Ukraine in 2014.

The Biden administration this past week authorized an additional $350 million in military aid to Ukraine.

Other NATO members have also said they're ramping up assistance to Ukraine, and the alliance has moved to bolster its troop presence in Eastern Europe amid the tensions with Russia.