Western partners are delaying the transfer of Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine because they are still afraid of a possible escalation of the war by Russia.
This opinion was expressed on the Freedom TV channel by Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Mikhail Podolyak.
According to him, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has repeatedly emphasized to Western partners the need for additional installations to protect against enemy missile attacks.
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The head of state stated that five — seven Patriot air defense systems can protect industrial platforms in Ukraine.
— It seems to European countries, especially in Eastern and Northern Europe, that literally tomorrow Russia will attack them with missiles. Including the same ballistic, hypersonic ones that attacked Ukraine. Our partners still experience internal fear, so the logic is — “let’s just let Patriot stand with us,” Podolyak said.
War Escalation
In addition, partner governments fear that Russia will escalate the war if they start providing Ukraine with more weapons.
Podolyak claims that exactly the opposite is happening.
— In fact, everything looks the other way around. The slower supplies go to Ukraine, the faster this escalation occurs. Because Russia always thinks primitively, they say, just a little more, and we will press on, a little more, and we will break it, destroy the pro-Ukrainian coalition, and win this war. Or at least we won't lose, — said Podolyak.
It is the emphasis that providing Ukraine with more weapons will contribute to escalation that, unfortunately, continues to operate, Podolyak emphasized.
Pro-Russian fear
And the adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine noted that among some Western countries there is still an opinion that Russia must be taken into account, because the Russian Federation — it is a large militaristic state.
The West understands that Russia’s interests run counter to the interests of a democratic society and therefore we can continue to negotiate.
— That is, let's continue to somehow try to negotiate and so on. That is, this general pro-Russian fear can still be heard,” said Mikhail Podolyak.
And the situation with the supply of military aid to Ukraine is still influenced by the work of the pro-Russian lobby.
