- The US helped shoot down Iranian drones and missiles fired at Israel over the weekend.
- Ukraine’s president said the response showed what could be done to protect his own country.
- But the White House said it wouldn’t do the same for Ukraine, calling it a “different threat picture.”
The White House said on Monday that it would not shoot down drones for Ukraine, despite having done so for Israel over the weekend.
Israel said that Iran fired more than 300 drones and missiles at it on Saturday night. The US, UK, France, and Jordan said they helped to stop the barrage, including through the use of aircraft.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby was asked in a media briefing if the US could also help to shoot down drones over Ukraine.
Kirby responded: “I knew this question was coming too. Look, different conflicts. Different conflicts, different airspace, different threat picture.”
He said that President Joe Biden “has been clear since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, the United States is not gonna be involved in that conflict in a combat role, and we haven’t.”
Russia has been firing drones and missiles across Ukraine as part of its full-scale invasion, often hitting and destroying energy infrastructure, as well as residential buildings, and killing civilians.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the response to Iran’s aerial attack on Israel “demonstrated how truly effective unity in defending against terror can be when it is based on sufficient political will.”
“Together, they prevented terror from prevailing,” he added. “And they are working together, and in coordination with others, to prevent further escalation.”
Zelenskyy said that similar actions should be taken to protect Ukraine.
Many of Ukraine’s allies, including the US, have said they are trying to help without escalating the conflict with Russia. But some world leaders have rebuffed this, saying Russia will escalate the war either way.
Zelenskyy said the response to the attack on Israel also showed that NATO members can protect non-member states, and could protect Ukraine, which is not part of the military alliance, in the same way.
“Israel is not a NATO member, so no action, such as triggering Article 5, was required,” he said, referring to the alliance’s collective defense clause.
“No one was dragged into the war,” Zelenskyy added. “They simply contributed to the protection of human life.”
Zelenskyy went on to say that “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.”
Ukraine is running critically low on air defense missiles, which means Russia’s attacks are more likely to get through.
Republicans in Congress have stalled further aid for Ukraine over the past six months, preventing any new supplies coming from the US.
Kirby said the US had previously given Ukraine “the tools that they need to help defend their space. And unfortunately, we can’t do that right now, because we don’t have the National Security Supplemental funding that they so desperately need.”
Experts previously told BI that Ukrainian shortages would likely allow Russia’s air force to fly freely, which could have effects so devastating that it could bring about a quick end to the war.
