Putin warns a no-fly zone in Ukraine could provoke a widespread war

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that any third-party declaration of a no-fly zone over Ukraine would be considered as "participation in the armed conflict".

He made the warning during a speech on Saturday at a meeting with pilots saying Russia would view "any move in this direction" as an intervention that "will pose a threat to our service members".

"That very second, we will view them as participants of the military conflict, and it would not matter what members they are," he said.

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A member of the Ukrainian delegation says the next round of talks with Russia will be held on Monday.

It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says if NATO does not take this action it will also be to blame for deaths.

Mr Zelensky has pushed NATO to impose a no-fly zone over his country, warning that "all the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you", as Russian forces were attacking strategic locations in Ukraine.

NATO has said a no-fly zone, which would bar all unauthorised aircraft from flying over Ukraine, could provoke widespread war in Europe with nuclear-armed Russia.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) said Russia's proposed ceasefire in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Saturday was "likely an attempt to deflect international condemnation while resetting its force for renewed offensive activity".

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In an intelligence update on Saturday afternoon, the MOD said: "By accusing Ukraine of breaking the agreement, Russia is likely seeking to shift responsibility for current and future civilian casualties in the city."

Forces News has previously asked former NATO official Dr Jamie Shea if he thought NATO was right to not impose a no-fly zone.

He said Ukrainians "would also be denied access to airspace their own air force, what remains, would not be able to operate.

"The Russians would still have their ground-based missile capabilities to attack Ukrainian cities. 

"I lived through the Balkan wars and I well remember the no-fly zones over Bosnia back in the 1990s, it sounded good but in reality all NATO did was to fly around watching helplessly as the Bosnian Serbs continued to shell Sarajevo and massacre Bosnians at Srebrenica in 1995, so let's come up with sensible things that actually will help Ukraine and use our energies to develop those quickly."