Rep. Kinzinger: Start No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine

In potentially one of the most forceful calls against Russian aggression among U.S. lawmakers, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., is making a call for NATO to enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine during the Russian invasion operation.

Kinzinger tweeted support for the no-fly zone before the Biden administration anticipated a Saturday morning fall of Kyiv to Russian forces that never materialized.

Kinzinger made his call for the no-fly zone via Twitter on Friday:

"1) The fate of #Ukraine is being decided tonight, but also the fate of the west. Declare a #NoFlyZone over Ukraine at the invitation of their sovereign govt. Disrupt Russias air ops to give the heroic Ukrainians a fair fight. It's now, or later."

Kinzinger followed up his first tweet with a second, making a veiled reference to escalations potentially touching off a World War III:

"2) History teaches that taking a stand is inevitable and gets more costly with time. We own the skies, Russia cannot hold a candle to our Air power. Do this. Putin is too dangerous to hope he is satisfied with 'just Ukraine.'"

Enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would ultimately put NATO in the war with Russian, a nuclear power.

President Vladimir Putin has warned other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to "consequences you have never seen."

"To do a no-fly zone, I would have to put British fighter jets directly against Russian fighter jets," Britain's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Friday.

"NATO will have to effectively declare war on Russia, because that's what you would do."

But Kinzinger added a claim Putin would not respond with nuclear weapons if NATO were to impose and enforce a no-fly zone over Russia, albeit not addressing the possibility Putin could strike a NATO ally's airbase that might launch forces to defend the no-fly zone.

Kinzinger tweeted Friday night:

"Putin threatening nukes is a good reminder that Putin must be stopped. <side note Putin will NOT use nukes over a no-fly zone>. The legit govt of Ukraine has a right to defend their skies with help. Full stop"

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