FOR days, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been continuously appealing to its allies for his country to also have strong air defenses like Israel. His appeal, however, was shot down by French President Emmanuel Macron.
According to Macron, it is impossible for the West to provide Ukraine with a version of Israel’s famed iron dome air defense system, because it has neither the time nor the resources to accomplish this.
The French president made the remarks following a European Council Meeting in Brussels this week.
Macron cited the lengthy development process and substantial investment required for a system like iron down and that it’s impractical to meet Ukraine’s urgent needs.
“Israel has been building and financing [its defense system] for a long time…it’s impossible to build the same system that would fully meet the needs of Ukraine,” said Pres. Emmanuel Macron, France.
Another issue is the ability to produce the weapons required for Ukraine. The French president elaborated that the West prefers to assist Ukraine through a collaborative coalition effort where countries share responsibilities and complement each other.
‘Circumstances are not the same’—Borrell on West’s response to strikes on Israel, Ukraine
Aside from Macron, EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell reportedly turned down Zelenskyy’s request. According to Borrel, the situations in Israel and Ukraine were not incomparable, contrary to what Zelenskyy has said.
“There are no air bases of the UK, or the US, much less Jordan of course, on Ukrainian territory… therefore, the same answer cannot be given because the circumstances are not the same,” stressed Josep Borrell, EU Foreign Policy Chief.
U.S. approves vote on Ukraine funding
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Yens Stoltenberg said they have available air defense systems that can be sent to Kyiv and this includes air weapons that allies can provide—but not something similar to the iron dome.
The United States, on the other hand, has greenlighted a vote on a ninety-five billion dollar foreign aid bill, including a sixty billion dollar bill earmarked for Ukraine.
To recall, earlier this week, the White House reiterated that the United States will not directly engage with Russian forces on behalf of Ukraine.
Although the U.S. and its allies promised to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia ‘for as long as it takes’– Washington insists that they are committed to avoiding direct involvement in combat operations.
