Among the leading parties in Germany, opinions have diverged regarding the idea of NATO forces participating in the “closing of the sky” over some Ukrainian territory.
The Christian Democratic Union, Free Democrats, and the Greens factions suggest the possibility of protecting parts of Ukraine’s airspace with the involvement of NATO forces, following a proposal by Nico Lange a Senior Fellow at the Munich Security Conference
Hypothetical “safe zone”
Lange expressed the opinion that NATO could defend a hypothetical “safe zone” up to 70 km deep near the borders of Ukraine with Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.
According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung (FAS), CDU leader Roderich Kiesewetter expressed support for the concept, citing how Western countries helped Israel resist a large Iranian aerial attack in April.
Votes “for” exist among some members of the Bundestag both from Free Democrats and the Greens.
Some deputies expressed less pragmatically
Member of the Green Party faction, Anton Hofreiter, noted that the defense of parts of Ukrainian skies from the territory of Poland and Romania “should not be ruled out in the long term,” but believes that the time for discussing this has not yet come.
On the other hand, the representative of the SDP, Rolf Mützenich, rejected such an idea in a comment to Tagesspiegel, stating that the party would not agree to it. Similar proposals are “irresponsible and extremely dangerous,” as they would be “playing with fire and exactly what Putin wants – fodder for his distorted narrative about the imperialist NATO.”
Mützenich added that continuing significant military support for Ukraine so that it can defend itself is “good and right,” but the SDP opposes NATO directly intervening militarily.
The leaders of Germany and other European countries underestimated the threat posed by Russia. While the West may not consider itself a party to the conflict, it doesn’t change the fact that for Russia, NATO is already an enemy and aggressor, justifying its aggressive rhetoric with war on Ukraine.
Such a decision may have a vital impact on Ukraines ability to defend itself, especially when Russia launched a new wave of assault on north of Ukraine conducting airbombment and missile attack across frontline regions of Ukraine.
