Nuclear weapons, mistrust or geography? Frustrated, Ukraine is wondering about the reasons for the reluctance of its allies to help it more militarily against Russia, after an Iranian air attack against Israel this weekend was successfully repelled, notably thanks to Western support.
Bombarded daily by its Russian neighbor, Ukraine has been the scene for more than two years of the worst armed conflict in Europe since the Second World War, which has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people.
Deep bitterness in kyiv
While Western aid is running out of steam, notably due to political divisions in the American Congress, the situation on the front has recently deteriorated for kyiv, which has been urging its partners for months to deliver more weapons and systems. anti-aircraft defense.
In this context, Western military support which helped Israel intercept almost all of Iran’s explosive missiles and drones has aroused deep bitterness in kyiv.
“By defending Israel, the free world has demonstrated that such unity is not only possible, but also 100% effective,” noted President Volodymyr Zelensky Monday evening. “The same thing is possible to protect Ukraine,” he said. The day before, he had sworn that “it is not rhetoric that protects the sky”, urging Kiev’s supporters not to “turn a blind eye to Russian missiles and drones” which are targeting Ukraine.
A call repeated Monday by his head of diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba. “All we ask of our partners – even if you cannot act as you do in Israel – is to give us what we need and we will do the rest of the work,” he said. during a press conference.
Fear of Westerners
The debate on the reasons for this Western reluctance is also animating social networks, with many Ukrainians explaining it by the Westerners’ fear of the Russian nuclear arsenal. “They don’t help us because we don’t have anything to scare others,” Dmytro Zolotukhin, a Ukrainian political analyst, wrote on Facebook.
Others, like Valery Pekar, professor at a business school in kyiv, recalled the long-standing partnership that links Israel to the West, unlike Ukraine, which has long hesitated between rapprochement with the West or its Russian neighbor. .
Other Internet users have also noted that it is easier to protect Israel – with its surface area of 22,000 km2 – than Ukraine, the largest country in Europe and extending over 603,000 km2.