Ukraine: Western Allies Pledge to Boost Air Defenses

Facts

• Ukraine's Western allies pledged to form a new coalition of 20 countries dedicated to improving Ukraine's air defenses this week — a move welcomed by Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy.¹
• In his nightly address on Wednesday, Zelenskyy thanked France and Germany for their leadership in forming the group. 'I am also grateful to every country that participates in these efforts,' he added. 'Not everything can be said publicly yet, but Ukraine's sky shield is getting more powerful literally every month.'²
• The move was announced following the 17th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on Wednesday, an international coalition of nearly 50 countries led by the US that has provided Ukraine with military and logistical support since the start of the war.³
• Opening the meeting virtually from the Pentagon, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the coalition: 'We're focused on supporting Ukraine as it continues its fight through the winter to defend its critical infrastructure. Through this extraordinary group of some 50 countries, we remind the world of our shared commitment to support Ukraine today and for the long haul.'³
• This comes a day after Austin made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, where he met with Zelenskyy and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov. According to a Pentagon press release, the leaders discussed Ukraine's current military operations, as well as its short-term and mid-term goals. Austin also announced an additional $100M of US military aid to Ukraine.³
• Military aid packages were also announced by Germany, the Netherlands, and Estonia this week. Meanwhile, Gen. Valery Zaluzhniy, commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces, addressed the contact group for the first time. He described the situation on the front lines as 'complicated but controllable.'¹

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²President of Ukraine and ³U.S. Department of Defense.

Narratives

• Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by The Guardian. While some may argue the war has reached a stalemate, the term's not a good one as war isn't like chess — where a position can stall due to a lack of pieces. Here, the US and its Western allies can continue to provide Ukraine with pieces. Namely, continued military aid that breaks the technological impasse, including better air defenses that help Ukraine stave off Russian attacks.
• Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Ten years on from Euromaidan, it's becoming clearer and clearer that the West's misguided policy of using Ukraine as a weapon to try and weaken Russia is only leaving Ukraine in ruins. Russia was forced to take measures to protect the Donbas, and for Ukraine, it has only led to destruction and the loss of land. Nonetheless, the West continues to feed the fantasy that Ukraine can militarily defeat Russia, all to Ukraine's detriment.

Predictions