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More than two dozen foreign policy experts have called for the United States and NATO to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine in order to escalate the conflict with Russia.

The Biden administration, together with NATO allies, should impose a limited No-Fly Zone over Ukraine starting with protection for humanitarian corridors that were agreed upon in talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials on Thursday, according to a letter written by 27 officials.

NATO leaders should make it clear to Russian officials that they don't want direct confrontation with Russian forces, but that they will not allow Russian attacks on civilian areas.

The letter was signed by William Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine; Kurt Volker, former U.S. ambassador to NATO; and Alexander Vershbow, former U.S. ambassador to both NATO and Russia.

William Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine.
William Taylor, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, at a rally in support of Ukraine in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 20. (Kenny Holston/Getty Images)

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked for a no-fly zone in the early days of the invasion, top officials in the U.S. and Europe rejected it. The US and its allies have implemented multiple no-fly zones over countries with less powerful militaries, such as Bosnia and Saddam Hussein's Iraq in the 1990s.

The United States and NATO will not engage Russian forces on the ground in Ukraine, according to the letter.

The United Nations is calling the refugee crisis the largest since World War II, and there has been continued pressure from Ukraine for NATO to intervene. The chief of staff for Zelensky called for a no-fly zone in the New York Times last week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his office in Kyiv on Monday. (Ukrainian President Office/via Reuters TV/Handout via Reuters)

The no-fly zone would bring NATO into direct conflict with the Ukrainians. We firmly believe that Russia won't stop at just Ukraine, which would drag NATO into this conflict anyway.

Close the sky over Ukraine! All Russian missiles and Russian combat aircraft should be closed. Zelensky said on Sunday that there should be a humanitarian air zone without air bombs.

It would require the deployment of the U.S. military to enforce the zone, which could lead to a war with Russia, according to the White House press secretary.

The no-fly zone is something the president has been willing to take, but it would require implementation.

In an interview with NBC News, the Secretary of State said the same.

A pair of Russian Su-35 fighter jets.
Russian Su-35 fighter jets flying over Russia in November. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

The president has made it clear that the United States will not put its planes in direct conflict with Russia.

That is clearly not our interest. He said that they were trying to end the war in Ukraine, not start a larger one.

Two Republican legislators have called for a no-fly zone to be implemented.

The idea was almost unanimously rejected, with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., saying it would mean World War III. Congress wouldn't authorize it, it's a bad idea.

 Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg at a news conference on March 4. (Olivier Douliery/Pool via Reuters)

The moves of the U.S. to the eastern flank of NATO are all the right ones.

NATO leadership denied Zelensky's request again on Friday.

NATO is not involved in the conflict, but it has a responsibility to prevent it from getting out of hand, according to the alliance's secretary general.

Zelensky criticized the decision in a televised address late that evening, saying that it was clear that not everyone considered the battle for Europe's freedom to be worth it. The leadership of the alliance gave the go-ahead for further bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages, even though they refused to set up a no-fly zone.

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