Why does the West protect Israel but not Ukraine?

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Svitlana Morenets has narrated this article for you to listen to.

When Israel and its allies shot down hundreds of Iranian drones and missiles, they demonstrated what an effective air defence looks like. The slow-moving Shahed-136 suicide drones were not hard for the Israeli, Jordanian, British, American and (probably) Saudi air forces to find and eliminate. Even Iran’s cruise missiles were thwarted. It was an overwhelming victory for Israel and a humiliation for Iran. In Ukraine, all this was watched with desperation and even anger.

While Israel boasts robust air defence systems and, with its allies, can deploy hundreds of combat aircraft to repel Iran’s attack, Ukraine must ration its defence munitions. Kyiv is forced to choose which cities to protect. Ukraine’s interception rate – which was above 75 per cent in 2022 – is now down to 46 per cent. Russians have adapted their routine so that after their missiles hit, they fire a second round (a ‘double-tap’) to kill the emergency services.

Could Ukraine’s allies not give it the same protection they give Israel? Such protection could have prevented 600 people from being crushed in the rubble of the Drama Theatre in Mariupol. The Russian ballistic missiles loaded with banned cluster munitions that hit the train station in Kramatorsk, killing 61, could have been intercepted. The Kremlin’s missiles might not have destroyed the shopping mall in Vinnytsia, killing 28. The list of tragedies goes on. Last week, Russian missiles destroyed the Trypilska thermal power plant, which provided electricity to the Kyiv region. Ukraine shot down the first seven of Russia’s 11 missiles, then ran out of rockets. More defences are desperately needed.

Last month, Russia attacked Ukraine with more than 400 missiles, 600 Iranian-made drones and 3,000 guided aerial bombs.