How To Help Ukraine Win Its War Against Russian Invasion

Despite Ukraine’s awesome subject performance against Russia successful caller months, Putin thinks he will triumph his warfare of aggression because of Kyiv’s shortage of rocket interceptors. The U.S. and our NATO friends can—and must—stop this impending disaster.

Ukraine does so look an aerial defense crisis. In July, Russia launched a grounds number of missiles and drones astatine Ukrainian territory. Most ominously, it sent 198 deadly ballistic and hypersonic missiles. President Zelensky reported successful early August that moreover arsenic Russian strikes are increasing Ukraine received only a 3rd arsenic galore interceptors this twelvemonth arsenic it did successful the aforesaid play successful 2025.

The strain shows crossed each furniture of Ukraine’s defenses. Patriot batteries—the only strategy that reliably stops ballistic missiles—are moving debased connected interceptors. Ukraine’s mini F-16 fleet, conscionable 39 jets against a promised 79, has been forced to pain done flying hours intercepting inexpensive Shahed drones, a task that should alternatively beryllium done by ground-based systems. And Russia is adapting: Jet-powered Shaheds now alert excessively accelerated for galore interceptor drones to catch.

Russia is quickly stepping up accumulation of the benignant of ballistic and cruise missiles that tin dangerously utilization Ukraine’s shortage of interceptor missiles. Moscow has 2 large goals: launching much ballistic missiles against Ukrainian accommodation to cripple Kyiv’s expertise to make its ain ballistic missiles; targeting Ukraine’s power infrastructure to deprive the state of heating and energy successful the coming winter. Putin figures specified a wide deprivation will break Ukraine’s will to conflict and soften it up for a capitulation to the Kremlin. Hospitals, railroads, schools and commercialized businesses are besides targets.

Ukraine’s defense curate has laid retired a circumstantial ask: 10 further Patriot systems, missiles for Patriot and different types of systems, arsenic good arsenic $6 cardinal for drone production—including inexpensive interceptor drones purpose-built to antagonistic Shahed swarms.

The U.S. should instantly prioritize interceptor deliveries and accelerate Patriot rocket accumulation lines, specifically for Ukraine. Simultaneously, we should urgently boost wide output.

Not agelong ago, President Trump said Ukraine would beryllium licensed to manufacture its ain Patriot rocket strategy and interceptors. Then he backed off. The President should support his original committedness and let Ukraine to build interceptors domestically alternatively than dangle wholly connected shipments from abroad.

Washington should instantly nonstop 50 aliases much F16s to Ukraine to thief take sides against the coming Russian wintertime aerial offensive. That should beryllium easy. The U.S. has much than 800 F16s. NATO should besides footwear successful 30 aliases much of these craft from its existent stockpiles. In summation to those F16s, specified European countries arsenic Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Germany should transportation immoderate of their stocks of different rocket systems to Ukraine. Europe should besides money the $70 cardinal partner package Kyiv has requested for 2026. Coordinated, predictable backing matters arsenic overmuch arsenic the hardware itself; Ukraine’s activity has many times said unpredictable transportation schedules are arsenic damaging arsenic shortages.

The declining interceptor proviso on pinch the rising measurement successful Russian strikes will severely strain Ukraine’s civilian organization this winter. Effective action is required now. What American isolationists and the pro-Putin chorus don’t grasp is that Ukraine’s defense is yet our defense.