Rep. Darrell Issa says that establishing a no-fly zone to block Russian fighter jets from the skies over Ukraine is vital as the U.S. is already in the initial stages of World War III.
“I want a no-fly zone. There are a lot of ways that we can create an effective standoff. One of them is we have the ability without putting aircraft above Ukraine,” the California Republican told The Washington Times. “We have the ability to assist in a way that would make it dangerous for Russian aircraft to be in the air — particularly attacking civilians.”
Mr. Issa, however, insists he does not want to put U.S. pilots in direct combat with Russian MiGs. He views a no-fly zone as helmed by Ukrainians, backed by sophisticated U.S.-supplied military aircraft and equipment.
“A lot of people are thinking of a no-fly zone as our aircraft with U.S. pilots flying against MiGs. We don’t need that. We do need to give the Ukrainians enough MiGs to be able to have a defensive force,” he said. “But the situational awareness and the deterrent can be many things and many of which we can give to the Ukrainians.”
Mr. Issa is not the only lawmaker calling on the administration to send military aircraft to Ukraine to fight off Russia’s attack. Members on both sides of the aisle have asked the administration to enable the transfer of fighter aircraft to Ukraine by way of Poland, a move Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this week that the administration is already studying.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who renewed his calls for a no-fly zone over his country Tuesday after NATO allies and the United States rejected his initial pleas over the weekend, has also pressed the Biden administration for more military aid, including planes, drones and anti-aircraft missiles.
“These planes are very much needed,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat, said in a statement after the Ukrainian leader addressed a virtual gathering of more than 280 members of the House and Senate Saturday. “And I will do all I can to help the administration to facilitate their transfer.”
The Biden administration and Senate lawmakers are strongly against the U.S. involving itself in a no-fly zone against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, which is not a member of the NATO alliance. The lawmakers say it would put the U.S. into direct conflict with Russia, another nuclear superpower, and potentially ignite a far wider and deadlier conflict.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has even hinted at using Russia’s massive nuclear arsenal against countries who join Ukraine in the two-week-old war. Mr. Issa, however, says that Mr. Putin must be dealt with before he becomes dangerously unstoppable.
“Look, we are already in the early days of what could be World War III. The way we prevent World War III is we stop this dictator. The entire world agrees that he is wrong. We needed that example. We have that example,” he said. “When we didn’t stop Hitler early, we had to stop Hitler late. It is no longer early to stop Putin but is not yet late.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Monday told reporters that “logistical challenges” are facing the proposal to transfer the planes from Poland to Ukraine.
“This is Poland’s sovereign decision to make. We have in no way opposed Poland transferring planes to Ukraine,” Ms. Psaki said.
“There are a number of challenging practical questions, including how the planes would actually be transferred from Poland to Ukraine, right? So, are they going to fly? Where will they depart from? Where will they land? Those are all very important questions here,” she said.
Ms. Psaki noted that sending F-16s to Poland and replacing them in the U.S. would also be a challenge.
“Procuring new planes and transferring serious weapon systems often take years to do from the United States,” she said.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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