Ukraine’s true security doesn’t come from missiles, it comes from its soldiers

Given the complexity and meticulousness of military aid logistics, it is hard to imagine that deliveries happen chaotically, on the principle of: “50 Stingers have arrived—where should we put them?” That’s why it seems strange that Politico journalists learned about this decision before Ukraine’s Defense Ministry did.

At the moment, it is difficult to understand what is really happening. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. chargé d'affaires for explanations, but as it turned out, the embassy itself also learned about the situation from the press. According to American officials, the Pentagon did not inform either the State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, or Keith Kellogg’s team. Representatives of both parties express surprise and emphasize: it is impossible to stop aid approved by Congress without Congress’s own consent. So, it seems that Washington also does not understand what is happening and is also trying to find an explanation.

This, in particular, explains the discrepancies in the rhetoric of representatives of the White House, State Department, Pentagon, and certain politicians from both the Democratic and Republican parties. 

"As for the supposedly depleted U.S. stocks of Patriot missiles due to their supply to Ukraine, this is not entirely true. The first batches did indeed come from U.S. warehouses, but were compensated by purchasing the same missiles from Japan. Later, the missiles came from export batches that did not affect the Pentagon’s strategic reserves at all."

According to 2023 data, the U.S. produced about 500 Patriot missiles per year. With the launch of a new plant in Arkansas, production will increase to 750 per year. Therefore, the suspension of the delivery of 20 missiles in no way affects the defense capability of the United States.

Despite all this informational confusion, Politico reports that the White House is working on organizing a conversation between the presidents of the U.S. and Ukraine. I hope this will help clarify the situation, and we will receive more weapons for defense.

But regardless of when and how many missiles we receive, one thing remains unchanged: the main guarantee of our security is not a few dozen air defense missiles, but Ukrainian soldiers on the front line. And support from the rear is more important for them than any statements from senators. So, if you are not on the front line—support the military, donate, help volunteers. Because victory is our common cause.

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About the author: Mykola Kniazhytskyi, journalist, Member of Parliament of Ukraine.

The editorial board does not always share the views expressed by blog or column authors.