Imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would help bring the conflict there to a faster conclusion and save lives, the Polish ambassador to Kyiv said on Thursday, as Russia continued a relentless bombardment of several cities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been pleading for NATO to impose a no-fly zone, but the alliance is wary of any step that might draw it into direct conflict with Russia.
"Every day of delay costs hundreds of human lives," Bartosz Cichocki told private broadcaster TVN24 from Kyiv. "This is an extension of the conflict that could be ended much faster precisely thanks to the closure of the airspace."
The United States on Tuesday rejected a surprise offer by Poland to transfer its Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets to a U.S. base in Germany and put them at the disposal of the United States as a way to replenish Ukraine's air force.
Poland's prime minister said on Wednesday that any supply of fighter jets to Ukraine must be done jointly by NATO countries.
Ambassador Cichocki also said that heavy fightning for Irpin was under way, and that Bucha "practically ceased to exist". "These towns are located some 50 kilometres from where I am. In Kiev there are concrete barricades, sandbags, anti-tank obstacles - all guarded by armed patrols," he said.
He added that "a tragedy" was happening in Mariupol. "The city is surrounded, bombarded," he explained.
"This is of course a way of bracing for potential city fighting, however I assume that the fortifications around the city look much different, much heavier," he said.
The ambassador assessed that "Kiev looks normal", adding that he did not notice any serious damage in the city".
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24, Reuters
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: TVN24