Russia - Ukraine war | Zelenskyy criticises NATO in strong words, says it allowed bombings

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticised NATO for refusing to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine, saying it will fully untie Russia’s hands as it escalates its attack from the air.

“All the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you, because of your weakness, because of your lack of unity,” he said in a nighttime address.

Zelenskyy went on to say that by refusing to impose the no-fly zone, “the alliance has given the green light to the bombing of Ukrainian cities and villages.”

On Friday, NATO refused to impose a no-fly zone, warning that to do so could provoke widespread war in Europe with nuclear-armed Russia.

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The Ukrainian President said that this narrative by NATO is a self-induced hypnosis of those who are weak and lack confidence even though they possess arms stronger than Ukraine.

Zelenskyy's strongly worded criticism of NATO is significant as Putin has claimed that one of the reasons behind Russian aggression is Ukraine's ties with the trans-Atlantic alliance. Putin has demanded that Ukraine never join NATO.