Over the past month, Kyiv’s government has urged the U.S. and other Western partners to send more air defenses to Ukraine as Russia bombards the country with missiles and drones. If the conflict in the Middle East escalates, some observers believe it will hurt the backing for Kyiv’s war efforts.
A wider conflict “could severely impact Ukraine’s interests,” Maksym Skrypchenko, president of the Ukrainian Transatlantic Dialogue Center think tank, told POLITICO in an interview. “If resources are diverted to Israel, less remains for Ukraine … any conflict that consumes resources needed by Ukraine negatively affects us,” he said.
He specifically noted air-defense systems, as well as artillery shells and other military supplies. On the other hand, Skrypchenko added, Iran’s attack on Israel could “bolster” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson’s efforts to convince more Republicans to pass a stalled national security supplemental bill, which would provide military assistance to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
“The standalone aid package for Israel was previously unsuccessful, so coupling it with aid for Ukraine might be the only viable approach,” Skrypchenko said. “The justification is compelling: Israel faced attacks with the same weaponry that Iran supplies to Russia.”
Since the Iranian attack, Johnson himself has emphasized his support for passing the package.
“House Republicans and the Republican Party understand the necessity of standing with Israel,” Johnson told Fox News on Sunday. “We’re going to try again this week, and the details of that package are being put together right now. We’re looking at the options on all these supplemental issues.”
Western reluctance to supply funding and weapons comes at a time when Moscow’s forces are making advances on the battlefield and Russian President Vladimir Putin, fresh from a distorted election victory, is leaping on every opportunity to intensify the Kremlin’s assault.
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