Russia-Ukraine War: Countries imposing no-fly zone over Ukraine would be parties to conflict, says Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin in a statement on Saturday said that any country that sought to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be considered by Moscow to have entered the conflict.

“Any movement in this direction will be considered by us as participation in an armed conflict by that country,” the Russian leader said during a meeting with Aeroflot employees.

He added that imposing a no-fly zone would have "colossal and catastrophic consequences not only for Europe but also the whole world".

Putin further informed that he had no intention of declaring martial law, as his country’s military incursion in Ukraine enters its second week.

“Martial law should only be introduced in cases where there is external aggression … we are not experiencing that at the moment and I hope we won’t,” Putin said during a televised meeting with employees of Russia’s flagship carrier Aeroflot.

(with agency inputs)