Ukraine backers blast ‘double standard’ after allies rush to Israel’s defense

MicroWave@lemmy.world to World News@lemmy.world – 488 points – Ukraine backers blast ‘double standard’ after allies rush to Israel’s defense
politico.eu

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.

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Zelensky's tweet full text:

The entire world witnessed allied action in the skies above Israel and neighboring countries. It demonstrated how truly effective unity in defending against terror can be when it is based on sufficient political will.

Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Jordan acted together and with maximum efficiency.

Together, they prevented terror from prevailing. And they are working together, and in coordination with others, to prevent further escalation.

Israel is not a NATO member, so no action, such as triggering Article 5, was required. And no one was dragged into the war. They simply contributed to the protection of human life.

"Shaheds" in the skies above Ukraine sound identical to those over the Middle East. The impact of ballistic missiles, if they are not intercepted, is the same everywhere.

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. Terror must be defeated completely and everywhere, not more in some places and less in others.

I thank everyone in the world, every leader and state, who truly assists us with air defense and missiles necessary to protect our skies, as well as training our pilots on F-16s. All of this already works and will continue to work to save lives.

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.

It's worth supplementing this with his earlier statement from 2 days ago:

“Ukraine condemns Iran’s attack on Israel using ‘Shahed’ drones and missiles. We in Ukraine know very well the horror of similar attacks by Russia, which uses the same ‘Shahed’ drones and Russian missiles, the same tactics of mass air strikes,”

“It is critical that the United States Congress make the necessary decisions to strengthen America’s allies at this critical time,” he says.

Problem is, not everyone in the United States has the same allies.

Also that the US has been at war for the past 20+ years and has very little to show for it's efforts. People are war fatigued and want things sorted out at home because domestically things are terrible.