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Politico Finds Out Why the US Is Helping Shoot Down Missiles in Israel, Not Ukraine
Zelensky has repeatedly called on allies to help shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine, just as the U.S. is helping Israel. But Politico's sources said that would be impossible because doing so would risk war with Russia.
The United States is helping shoot down missiles over Israel, but not over Ukraine. Because, unlike Iran, Russia is a nuclear power, senior U.S. officials told POLITICO.
The publication recalls that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on Western allies to provide Kyiv with the same support as Tel Aviv. "If our allies are working together to shoot down missiles in the skies of the Middle East, why haven't they decided to shoot down drones and missiles over Ukraine yet?" Zelensky asked, describing the situation as a double standard.
POLITICO sources explained that if the US supports Israel, it can act more boldly, since there is no risk of nuclear war. “This is a harsh answer that the Ukrainians may not want to hear, but unfortunately it is true. We can risk shooting down an Iranian missile over Israel without provoking a direct war with Tehran, which could lead to a nuclear war. It is much more dangerous to try to do this with Russia,” one of the sources said.
In an interview with POLITICO, two Ukrainian air defense officers noted that Israel, unlike Ukraine, is a small country, and the U.S. could use ship-based air defense systems to protect it. Ukraine is much larger, and ship-based air defense systems are no longer useful. The allies should deploy air defenses on the country's western border, where they can only protect nearby areas.
At the same time, Ukraine's allies are already actively involved in the conflict, "albeit from a distance," according to Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat. In particular, they "signal" the movement of Russian bombers to firing positions, "telling them when and where the Russians are preparing to attack."
Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly stated that the bloc does not intend to directly intervene in the conflict between Kiev and Moscow and therefore will not shoot down Russian missiles over Ukraine.
At the same time, Poland, which borders Ukraine, has different views on the possibility of helping Kyiv intercept the missiles. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said that countries bordering Poland and Ukraine are obliged to shoot down Russian missiles before they enter their airspace to ensure their own security, and that NATO members "do not cancel" this. In contrast, Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz expressed the alliance's position. According to him, no country would make such a decision "individually" and there is no one in NATO who supports such an idea.
The Russian Foreign Ministry promised that if the Polish authorities give in to their "adventurous impulse" and decide to intercept Russian long-range weapons, Moscow's response will be "adequate and very specific."