U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has defended the West's focus on sanctions and providing weapons to Ukraine as effective ways to stop Russia's special military operation in the country.
Blinken was speaking in Brussels after NATO rejected Ukraine's calls to implement a no-fly zone over the country aimed at shutting the airspace to Russian jets, bombers, and helicopters and stopping their attacks.
The United States and NATO have said implementing a no-fly zone could put the alliance into a direct confrontation with Russia and that could lead to a full-fledged war.
Blinken said more military support and more sanctions, as well as increased humanitarian aid for Ukrainians, were the focus of his talks at the NATO and European Union headquarters.
"We are going to tremendous lengths with allies and partners to provide Ukrainians with the means to effectively defend themselves," he said.
The supply of weaponry that the United States and European countries have sent has helped the Ukrainian military stall some of the Russian advance, he said.
Earlier on March 4, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance's members agreed that its planes should not fly in Ukraine's airspace and that its troops should not be present on the ground in Ukraine during its conflict with Russia.
After meeting with foreign ministers from NATO members, Stoltenberg again called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop his “unprovoked war against Ukraine immediately, and without conditions."
Stoltenberg admitted that Russia was likely to intensify its attack on Ukraine, which began on February 24, with the coming days "likely to be worse."
Blinken later echoed that comment, saying, "The terrible expectation is that the suffering we've already seen is likely to get worse before it gets better."
