Insider

Your all-access pass to FP

The Problem With the Debate Over Helping Ukraine

Ivo Daalder, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, explains why discussions about a no-fly zone over Ukraine are not framed in the right way.

By , the editor in chief of Foreign Policy.
Then-NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (left) speaks with then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates (right) and then-U.S. ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder in Istanbul on Feb 5, 2010.
Then-NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (left) speaks with then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates (right) and then-U.S. ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder in Istanbul on Feb 5, 2010.
Then-NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (left) speaks with then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates (right) and then-U.S. ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder in Istanbul on Feb 5, 2010. Murad Sezer/Reuters

Russia’s War in Ukraine

Understanding the conflict two years on.

More on this topic

On March 16, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the U.S. Congress virtually from Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, invoking memories of Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks as he appealed for more U.S. assistance in the face of a continued Russian assault. Among his specific requests, Zelensky repeated his call for a NATO-backed “no-fly zone” over Ukrainian airspace.

Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy. Twitter: @RaviReports

Read More On Russia | Ukraine

Join the Conversation

Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription.

Already a subscriber? .

View Comments

Join the Conversation

Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now.

Not your account?

View Comments

Join the Conversation

Please follow our comment guidelines, stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs.

You are commenting as .

Read More

Members and supporters of the Ukrainian community attend a protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in New York.
Members and supporters of the Ukrainian community attend a protest against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in New York.

Poll: Experts Oppose No-Fly Zone Over Ukraine

IR scholars overwhelmingly say involving U.S. air power risks uncontrollable escalation. Biden and his advisors agree.

Analysis
Irene Entringer García Blanes, Ryan Powers, Susan Peterson, Michael J. Tierney

Latest

Hundreds of Pro-Palestinian Student Protesters Arrested at U.S. Campuses

Japan’s Big Bet on Interest Rates May Not Pay Off

Israel Is Desperate to Replace Palestinian Farmhands

Congress Helps Steer Taiwan Toward the ‘Porcupine Strategy’

U.S. Fixation on Nuclear Deal Let Iran Loose on the Middle East
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    Qatar Is Ready to Call Netanyahu’s Hostage Bluff
  2. 2
    U.S. Fixation on Nuclear Deal Let Iran Loose on the Middle East
  3. 3
    Hundreds of Pro-Palestinian Student Protesters Arrested at U.S. Campuses
  4. 4
    Gen Z Has Finally Found Its Karl Marx

More from Foreign Policy

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi talk to delegates during the Arab League's Summit for Jerusalem in Cairo, on Feb. 12, 2023.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi talk to delegates during the Arab League's Summit for Jerusalem in Cairo, on Feb. 12, 2023.

Arab Countries Have Israel’s Back—for Their Own Sake

Last weekend’s security cooperation in the Middle East doesn’t indicate a new future for the region.

A new floating production, storage, and offloading vessel is under construction at a shipyard in Nantong, China, on April 17, 2023.
A new floating production, storage, and offloading vessel is under construction at a shipyard in Nantong, China, on April 17, 2023.

Forget About Chips—China Is Coming for Ships

Beijing’s grab for hegemony in a critical sector follows a familiar playbook.

A woman wearing a dress with floral details and loose sleeves looks straight ahead. She is flanked by flags and statues of large cats in the background.
A woman wearing a dress with floral details and loose sleeves looks straight ahead. She is flanked by flags and statues of large cats in the background.

‘The Regime’ Misunderstands Autocracy

HBO’s new miniseries displays an undeniably American nonchalance toward power.

Nigeriens gather to protest against the U.S. military presence, in Niamey, Niger, on April 13.
Nigeriens gather to protest against the U.S. military presence, in Niamey, Niger, on April 13.

Washington’s Failed Africa Policy Needs a Reset

Instead of trying to put out security fires, U.S. policy should focus on governance and growth.

Trending

  1. Qatar Is Ready to Call Netanyahu’s Hostage Bluff
    Analysis
    Anchal Vohra

  2. U.S. Fixation on Nuclear Deal Let Iran Loose on the Middle East
    Argument
    Lina Khatib

  3. Ukraine Is Still Outgunned by Russia
    Analysis
    Jack Detsch

  4. The Strategic Unseriousness of Olaf Scholz
    Analysis
    James Crabtree

  5. Hundreds of Pro-Palestinian Student Protesters Arrested at U.S. Campuses
    World Brief
    Alexandra Sharp

  6. Congress Helps Steer Taiwan Toward the ‘Porcupine Strategy’
    Situation Report
    Jack Detsch, Robbie Gramer