This week, the United States deployed an advanced missile defense system along with dozens of troops to protect Israel from Iranian ballistic missiles. However, a similar level of military support for Ukraine is absent, even as Ukrainian towns face daily attacks from Russian drones, missiles, and bombs. This is reported by Politico.
In Kyiv, this is referred to as double standards. Last month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky questioned why, if allies are collectively intercepting missiles in the skies over the Middle East, there is still no similar decision regarding Ukraine.
On October 1, U.S. and U.K. missile defense systems and fighter jets helped intercept hundreds of Iranian missiles, prompting Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to urge allies to defend Ukrainian airspace with the same determination.
However, the reason the U.S. acts boldly in Israel but cautiously in Ukraine is clear: Russia possesses nuclear weapons, while Iran does not, notes the American publication.
"The harsh truth that Ukrainians may not want to hear is that we can take the risk of intercepting Iranian missiles over Israel without provoking a direct war with Tehran, which could lead to nuclear war," a senior U.S. Senate official involved in Ukraine policy told reporters.
According to him, if a similar approach were applied to Ukraine, there would be "much greater risk."
Administration officials in Biden's administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, expressed the same viewpoint. Sending U.S. troops to Ukraine to intercept Russian missiles could provoke a direct military confrontation between the two leading nuclear powers in the world amidst the largest war in Europe since World War II. The consequences could be apocalyptic, journalists cite U.S. officials' words.
At the same time, in the Middle East, the U.S. can intercept Iranian missiles over Israel without provoking a war with an adversary that possesses nuclear weapons.
It is noted that Iran has refined its nuclear material to a level close to weapons-grade but has not attempted to create an atomic bomb.
Nikolai Belyeskov, a researcher at the Ukrainian National Institute for Strategic Studies, stated that, as an ordinary citizen of Ukraine, it is sad to see "when in an agreement to prevent escalation by Moscow, your country and its citizens are sacrificed."
Acting Head of the Communications Department of the Air Force Command, Yuri Ignat, noted that partners usually inform Ukrainian military about the movements of Russian bombers to firing positions.
"They inform us when and where the Russians are preparing to attack," he explained.
After a warning, thousands of soldiers from reconnaissance, communication, and mobile air defense units engage in combat. Ukrainian pilots also become active in case of major attacks.
Kyiv wants Poland and Romania to actively intervene, both in cases when Russian drones enter their airspace and when this occurs over western Ukraine. Kyiv and Warsaw have agreed to discuss this possibility, but so far Poland has not changed its policy in this regard.
Warsaw has made it clear that it will not act without full NATO support, and Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz stated that such support is lacking. He added that Washington has also indicated it does not want escalation with Russia.
Kyiv hopes that the issue of assistance in intercepting missiles and drones over Ukraine will ultimately be resolved, just as Western artillery, tanks, missiles, and fighter jets eventually appeared on Ukrainian fronts despite initial concerns.
"There is an active discussion on this issue, both in Poland and in NATO," explained Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski.
He stated that NATO's border is in an intermediate state — "between the rules of peacetime and crisis."
However, he clarified that the intentions of the Kremlin remain unclear. Some of the mentioned incidents pose dangers to Polish citizens, and there is an opinion that the Russians are testing and observing how far they can go.
"I suspect that with so many drones and missiles, they are simply losing control over them," Sikorski explained his opinion.
The Ukrainian leadership wants allies to act in the same way as with Israel, but two Ukrainian air defense officers, speaking anonymously, stated that intercepting missiles over Israel is easier than over Ukraine.
Israel is a small country, which means the U.S. can utilize its naval air defense systems. Ukraine, however, is large and inaccessible to the Western fleet. Allies would need to deploy air defense systems on Ukraine's western border, from where they could only protect the nearest territory.
"NATO members, by engaging in air defense of Ukraine, would have to contribute much more, over a larger area, with a greater risk of 'entering the war' for uncertain gains," explained Matthew Saville, Director of Military Sciences at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
He added that in the case of Ukraine, the stakes would also be higher, as the frequency of Russian attacks far exceeds the palpable but impulsive attempts by Iran for direct strikes against Israel.
It is quite possible that NATO countries would also have to fly fighter jets over Ukraine, which could lead to direct confrontations with Russia — and this is precisely what the White House is trying to avoid.
For such efforts to be as effective as possible, Western forces would likely need to conduct direct strikes against Russian aircraft and/or suppress Russian long-range radar and air defense missiles.
In other words, missile defense is already more associated with direct involvement in the war, even if it only occurs in the air, Saville noted.
It is worth mentioning that, according to journalist Roman Shraikh, resources for the war will be exhausted by 2026 for both Ukraine and Russia.
It was also reported that North Korean fighters have already been spotted among the Russians in the Kursk region.