Polish President Andrzej Duda said the missile was likely a Russian-made S-300 — a weapon extensively used by Ukraine during this conflict and a legacy of its history as a Soviet state.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy specifically asked for more S-300 systems, or something similar, when he addressed Congress on March 16, three weeks after Russia’s invasion began.
Serhii Drozdov, a former commander of the Ukrainian air force, wrote in an op-ed for NBC News in April: “Ukraine relies on the long-range S-300 missile systems, which feature outdated, Soviet-era technology. … This is why, from the first days of the war, we have asked our allies for assistance in the sky.”
That case was made anew by Kyiv on Wednesday.
It was time for Europe to “close the sky” over Ukraine, Zelenksyy adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on Twitter. “For your own safety too…”
Ukraine had called for its allies to enforce a no-fly zone earlier in the war to prevent Russian warplanes from launching attacks.
But NATO has repeatedly rejected the suggestion, and Bond predicted this will not change.
“A no-fly zone wouldn’t have helped in this case. They don’t do anything about missiles,” he said.
“I expect U.S. reservations about that will remain the same,” he added, given the potential for such a move to bring about the very escalation the West will have been relieved to have avoided over Poland.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
