EXCLUSIVE: Zelenskyy tells David Muir why no-fly zone is necessary
In an exclusive interview with ABC News anchor David Muir, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stressed that the United States and NATO should establish a no-fly zone over his country to stop Russian missiles from hitting civilian targets like a university dormitory and a pediatric clinic.
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"Mr. President, as you know, the president [Joe Biden] and NATO have said no to this no-fly zone because of concerns this could trigger a much wider ... conflict, a much bigger war than what we're seeing already because there would have to be a willingness to shoot Russian planes outta the sky. Do you understand that concern?" Muir asked.
Zelenskyy, speaking to Muir from the Presidential Office in Kyiv, said that while Biden and NATO have refused to impose a no-fly zone, Russian missiles continue to target civilians, adding that he believes Russian missiles should be shot out of the sky.
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"You have to preserve lives. There ... were simply kids there with tumors," Zelenskyy said of the missile strike on the pediatric clinic. "And in the university, there were ordinary students. I'm sure that the brave American soldiers who would be shooting it down knowing that it is flying towards the students, I'm sure that they had no doubt in doing so."