US Defense Secretary warns: There is no such thing as a partial no-fly zone

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Thursday that there is no such thing as a partial no-fly zone, given calls for restrictions on flying in Ukraine's airspace, as "it really means they are at war. You are at war with Russia."

Accompanied by his Slovak counterpart Jaroslav Nad in Bratislava, Austin said: "There is no easy or simple way to do this. There is no such thing as a light no-fly zone. The no-fly zone means that you are in conflict with Russia."

The US secretary explained that his country was "shocked by the brutality" it saw in the Russian attacks on Ukraine, and explained that the US State Department is conducting a review of whether crimes were committed, adding, "These are civilians and should not be targeted."

For his part, the Slovak Defense Minister said that his country intends to send weapons, including the S-300 missile system, surface-to-air, to Ukraine to help it confront the Russian invasion, but added that the country needs new systems before it can be dispensed with.

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