Ukrainian FM: Israel’s response to Iranian attack shows what kyiv needs

The success of Israel and its allies by largely thwarting a massive Iranian attack with missiles and drones shows what Ukraine could achieve against Russian aerial bombardments if it had more support from its partners, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday.

A recent Russian air campaign targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and other targets has caused extensive damage, and kyiv has pleaded with its Western allies to provide more air defense systems, after more than two years of war.

Israel’s defense system, with help from the United States and the United Kingdom — countries that also support Ukraine’s war effort — is credited with preventing serious damage or casualties in Sunday’s attack by Iran, which launched more than 300 drones and missiles.

Speaking to reporters in kyiv, Kuleba urged Ukraine’s allies to “Give us what we need and we will do the rest of the work.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did the same on Sunday night, referring to the Iranian attack.

“The whole world sees what true defense is. “See that it is feasible,” he wrote on Telegram.

Last week, Russia fired nearly 130 explosive drones, more than 80 missiles and nearly 700 guided aerial bombs at Ukraine, Zelenskyy said Sunday on social media site X. He has pleaded with his allies to send more Patriot systems.

However, the Institute for the Study of War noted that there are key differences between the challenges facing Israel and Ukraine.

“Russian forces launch drones and missiles from throughout occupied Ukraine and in the vicinity of Ukraine from within Russia, giving Ukrainian air defenders a fraction of the time that Israel and its allies used to successfully mitigate the massive attack with Iranian missiles and dronesthe Washington-based think tank explained in an assessment on Sunday evening.

The scale and increased precision of recent Russian attacks have made Ukrainian defense officials nervous. They note that Kremlin forces now have better intelligence and new tactics in their campaign to destroy Ukraine’s power grid and crush its economy. Moscow has also apparently learned how to exploit gaps in air defenses across the massive country.

At the same time, Ukraine is struggling with shortages of ammunition and troops. The military chief warned on Saturday that the battlefield situation in the industrial east has worsened significantly.

A crucial obstacle to receiving more air defense supplies is the delay of a roughly $60 billion U.S. aid package for Ukraine.

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