Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Year : 2, Issue : 16
If the United States and its allies can rush to Israel’s defense in the skies, shooting down dozens of drones and missiles fired by Iran, why can’t they do the same for Ukraine — which has suffered under Russia’s missile attacks for more than two years?
That’s the question Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his country’s staunchest backers in the West were asking on Monday, hours after the U.S., the United Kingdom, France and Jordan helped Israel shoot down some 300 drones and missiles fired by Iran in retaliation after Israel killed its senior military commanders in Syria.
“European skies could have received the same level of protection long ago if Ukraine had received similar full support from its partners in intercepting drones and missiles,” Zelenskyy wrote Monday evening in a post on X.
The show of airborne prowess by Western allies and their partners in the Middle East — which included rushing fighter jets to knock down cruise missiles and Shahed drones headed for Israel — proved the effectiveness of Israel’s missile defense system when combined with some of the world’s most advanced aircraft.
But it also pointed to a yawning difference in the way Western powers treat Israel compared to Ukraine.
“Israel is not a NATO member, so no action, such as triggering Article 5, was required,” wrote Zelenskyy, referring to the NATO provision on collective defense that regards an attack on one as an attack on all. “No one was dragged into the war. They simply contributed to the protection of human life.”
“I thank everyone in the world, every leader and state, who truly assists us with air defense and missiles,” he added. “However, we can now see how unity can work truly a hundred percent, and how almost a hundred percent of ‘Shaheds’ and missiles can be intercepted. We will discuss it with our partners.”
Source: Politico
