Florida’s Rick Scott calls for Biden to enforce no-fly zone over Ukraine or allow plane transfer
Sen. Rick Scott called Wednesday for President Joe Biden to either equip Ukraine with military planes and anti-aircraft defense systems or enforce a no-fly zone over the country, a move that other lawmakers warned would risk bringing the U.S. into direct war with Russia.
Scott’s statement followed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to U.S. lawmakers Wednesday morning in which the Ukrainian leader asked Congress to enforce a no-fly zone over his country in the wake of Russia’s bombing of Ukrainian cities.
“Is it a lot to ask for to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine to save people? Is this too much? So that Russia would not be able to terrorize our free cities?” Zelensky said.
Enforcing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would require the U.S. to shoot down Russian planes, which would risk retaliation against the U.S. by another nuclear power. Lawmakers of both parties have repeatedly warned against the idea.
But Scott, a former Florida governor and chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Wednesday that Biden should either heed Zelensky’s request for a no-fly zone or give Ukraine access to military planes and other resources. The U.S. last week blocked Poland’s attempt to send American-made fighter jets to Ukraine.
“President Biden needs to make a decision TODAY: either give Ukraine access to the planes and anti-aircraft defense systems it needs to defend itself, or enforce a no-fly zone to close Ukrainian skies to Russian attacks,” Scott said in a written statement. “If President Biden does not do this NOW, President Biden will show himself to be absolutely heartless and ignorant of the deaths of innocent Ukrainian children and families.”
Scott, who voted against $14 billion in aid to Ukraine last week because it was part of a larger spending package, said that the U.S. “has the power to give Ukraine what it needs to win and ensure Putin and his thugs personally feel the pain of this ruthless and unlawful invasion. We must use it.”
Following Zelensky’s speech, Biden announced $800 million in additional military assistance for Ukraine. The package provides 800 Stinger anti-aircraft systems and over 2,000 Javelin missiles, among other weapons. He did not announce a no-fly zone or a plane transfer.
“What’s at stake here are the principles that the United States and the United Nations across the world stand for. It’s about freedom. It’s about the right of people to determine their own future,” Biden said. “It’s about making sure Ukraine never, will never be a victory for Putin no matter what advances he makes on the battlefield. The American people are answering President Zelensky’s call for more help, more weapons for Ukraine to defend itself.”
Scott’s support for a no-fly zone was striking given his status as a member of Senate Republican leadership, but other Republicans are unlikely to embrace the idea at this time on the grounds that it would escalate the conflict into a war between the U.S. and Russia.
Rubio and other lawmakers warn against no-fly zone
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said last week on CNN that a no-fly zone “means starting World War III.”
Asked about Scott’s suggestion that Biden enforce a no-fly zone, Rubio on Wednesday initially said he had not seen the statement from his fellow Florida Republican. He then declined to read it off of a reporter’s cellphone.
After being pressed, Rubio commented on the issue of a no-fly zone more broadly while emphasizing he was not responding to Scott. “I’d love to be able to do it. The problem is you have to be able to knock out surface to air missile sites in Russia’s defense and some of those are inside of Russia,” Rubio said.
“There’s either war planes in the sky or there aren’t. And the only way to keep war planes out of the sky is to shoot them down,” Rubio told reporters at the Capitol. “If the U.S. were to shoot down a Russian airplane, they would start shooting down American airplanes.”
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, also said that creating a no-fly zone would be a misguided step.
“It certainly heightens the risk of direct confrontation of an American pilot with a Russian pilot. And I don’t know of any military person in our military that thinks that would be a good idea,” said Blunt, who serves on the Senate GOP leadership with Scott.
However, Blunt said there’s growing interest among lawmakers in equipping Ukraine with other resources “so they can maintain their own air equality at least,” in the face of the Russian bombardment.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., called Zelensky’s request for a no-fly zone a maximalist demand that he respects, but he also said that it’s not one the U.S. can realistically fulfill. He said a no-fly zone existed over Iraq two decades ago because the Iraqis had no ability to take down American planes, but that’s not the case with Russia.
“It doesn’t exist,” Murphy said of a no-fly zone over Ukraine. “I support a no-invasion zone on the ground in Ukraine. That doesn’t exist either. So what you’re asking me is, really, do I support the United States going to war with Russia and shooting down Russian planes and have the Americans be shot down? I don’t support that.”
Asked about concerns that a no-fly zone would escalate the conflict, Scott reiterated that his preference is for the U.S. to enable the plane transfer.
“You should have gotten the planes, you should have gotten anti-aircraft missiles there now. They should have been there. They should have been there last week,” Scott said Wednesday afternoon, downplaying the no-fly zone as a viable alternative.
“I’m disappointed. He’s heartless because he hasn’t done it,” Scott said about Biden.
Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., published a letter Wednesday calling for Biden to allow the plane transfer from Poland.
“By forcing Russia to redirect more of their resources — in time, money, and artillery — to air forces, we would be allowing the Ukrainians a greater opportunity to push back the land invasions being incurred from all sides of the country by Russian forces,” he said.
Gimenez’s spokesperson Danny Jativa said in email that Gimenez believes that the red line for a no-fly zone would be if Russia deployed nuclear weapons against Ukraine, but unless that happens the best path forward is to supply Ukraine with anti-aircraft equipment.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said she supported providing Ukraine with aircraft and defense systems, but she panned a no-fly zone as an unwise escalation. She also took a shot at Scott over his ties to former President Donald Trump, who called Russian President Vladimir Putin “smart” last month in the wake of the invasion.
“We can best help Ukraine without escalating war at this time by supplying aircraft and defense systems to help its people prevent the carnage. Sen. Scott can best help Ukraine by asking his bosses at FOX News and Mar-A-Lago to stop praising Putin and peddling his propaganda,” she said in an email.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 1:32 PM.
