Ukraine has taken the initiative on the battlefield, inflicting increasingly painful blows on Russia and demonstrating superiority in drones. At the same time, to secure its successes, Kyiv urgently needs Patriot interceptor missiles, stricter control over sanctions, and continued support from US intelligence. These conclusions are drawn by Leslie Shed, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center and a former congressman, after a visit by a US delegation to the front and meetings with Ukrainian state leadership, writes Focus.
During the visit near the line of contact, Ukrainian military reported that over the past six months they have regained control of about 500 square kilometers of territory in their sector.
Critical shortage of air defense missiles
Despite Washington's decision to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot interceptor missiles, the country is experiencing an acute current shortage of them. Patriot systems remain the only ones capable of consistently intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, which Moscow actively uses to attack Kyiv.
'Even with a production license, Ukraine will need time to build facilities. European countries like Greece, whose missiles are nearing the end of their service life, should quickly sell them to Kyiv,' Shed points out.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the country needs at least 300 interceptor missiles for the upcoming winter period to guarantee protection from ballistic strikes.
World leader in unmanned technologies
The expert's report pays special attention to the massive Ukrainian production of cheap and effective drones resistant to Russian electronic warfare systems. According to the military, although Russian forces at the front outnumber Ukrainian forces nearly seven times, their losses are six times higher.
Ukraine is already developing cheap interceptor drones against Shahed unmanned aerial vehicles at a unit cost of about $1,000 — a significantly cheaper alternative compared to the missiles used by the US.
Returning the effectiveness of sanctions
Another key priority is stopping the leakage of Western microelectronics to the Russian military industry. According to representatives of the Ukrainian government, American and European components are still found in Russian weaponry.
Sanctions Policy Commissioner Vlasiuk earlier noted to the US delegation that American and European electronic components are still widely used in Russian weapons. Shed points out that tightening control over the supply of such technologies could significantly weaken the Russian defense-industrial complex.
'The Netherlands managed to effectively exclude its technologies from Russian weapons through a combination of compliance and focus on end users. If the United States and its allies replicate what the Netherlands managed to do, it could undermine the Russian defense industrial base,' Shed noted.
Ukraine is ready to be a valuable partner to its Western allies, as it has already become the world's largest testing ground for developing modern and cheap military technologies. The experience gained on the battlefield can be directly used by the United States and its partners.
Despite its technological progress, however, the country continues to face a critical deficit of conventional air defense systems.
