Lawmakers emerged from the packed congressional auditorium appearing emotional following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wartime address on Wednesday morning. But his calls for a no-fly zone drew mixed reactions from members, with some expressing concerns the move would spark World War III.
With NATO having rejected his repeated calls for a no-fly zone amid Russia’s continued aggression, Zelensky pleaded for the U.S. leaders to back the move, invoking in his push for additional support unprovoked attacks on U.S. soil such as 9/11 and Pearl Harbor.
“This is a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years, and we are asking for a reply, for an answer, from the whole world. Is that too much to ask for, a no-fly zone?” he told lawmakers.
Rep. Michael Waltz, a colonel in the National Guard and a combat-decorated Green Beret, said he found Zelensky’s remarks compelling. The Florida Republican said he supported Zelensky’s calls to send additional resources to help the country fight back the invasion ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin. But Waltz argued that there are complexities to implementing a no-fly zone.
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“I think it’s going to move the needle in terms of the MiGs and it’s going to move the needle on the S-300s and the more sophisticated weapons — give them the damn planes,” Waltz told the Washington Examiner. “Let’s give them everything they need. He invoked 9/11, Pearl Harbor, our own revolution, and Mount Rushmore. He made a very, very powerful case that he’s not just defending Ukraine — he’s defending all of us and our values.”
However, Waltz added, “The no-fly zone is much more complicated militarily to actually implement. The focus a lot of people talk about is American fighters shooting down Russian fighters. It’s actually us bombing Russia itself for their air defense systems and bombing Russian ground systems in order to be able to do that — that’s World War III.”
Rep. Sara Jacobs, a member of the House foreign affairs and armed services committees, said she fears a no-fly zone could escalate the threat of a nuclear war.
“I thought it was a very moving speech. Obviously what’s happening in Ukraine is heartbreaking,” Jacobs, a California Democrat, told the Washington Examiner. “Hearing from the president directly, having seen the images, clearly was very emotional and impactful. President Zelensky called on us to do more, and I’m supportive of making sure they have S-300 surface-to-air missiles and additional sanctions on members of the Duma.”
GOP Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee said she thought the speech and the video that was shown depicting the devastation Ukraine has sustained over the course of the past three weeks was poignant. But a no-fly zone is a step too far, she said.
“Enforcing a no-fly zone means American troops on the ground. You don’t plant a sign and say this is a no-fly zone — that requires young men and women in uniform donning the American flag in country, boots on the ground shooting down Russian jets,” Cammack told the Washington Examiner. “I’m not ready to send American troops in harm’s way. That’s just not where we need to be.”
Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, took a similar view.
“I think we need to be real careful about a no-fly zone,” Jordan said. “But we’ve given what — the taxpayers have given $13 billion. There’s sanctions in place, and you want to do what you can to help.”
While a sizable number of lawmakers voiced reservations about the no-fly zone, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York said it has not been taken “off the table.”
“It was an important moment for President Zelensky to remind all of us about the entire world, and not just the Congress, that this is a struggle between democracy and autocracy, freedom and tyranny and propaganda,” Jeffries said. “And all of us have a stake in making sure that Ukraine wins. We need to continue to do the maximum amount possible.”
Rep. Liz Cheney, a defense hawk, argued that the United States should strongly consider the move for humanitarian reasons in addition to stronger sanctions.
“I think that they ought to stop blocking the provision of MiGs to the Ukrainians. I think we need to consider a no-fly zone for humanitarian purposes,” the Wyoming Republican said. “I think that we need to consider providing much more quickly additional stingers, additional javelins. I think we need to consider patriots.”
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Rep. Drew Ferguson said taking a no-fly zone is off the table is a poor strategy as the West looks to show strength against Putin’s aggression.
“They were very powerful words that really showed the dire straits and the Ukrainian people,” said Ferguson of Georgia, the House Republicans’ chief deputy whip. “But he also illustrated just how brutal and how wrong Vladimir Putin has been. And so the U.S. and our allies are going to have to continue to put extreme pressure on Russia and anybody that helps Russia to break them because this cannot continue.”
