US explains why it doesn't help Ukraine repel airstrikes like Israel
(Baonghean.vn) - Explaining why the US did not help Ukraine like Israel, John Kirby, strategic communications coordinator at the US National Security Council, said that the conflicts have different contexts and natures.
According to RIA Novosti, John Kirby, coordinator of strategic communications at the US National Security Council, said at a press conference on April 15 that the conflict in Ukraine is very different from the tense situation in the Middle East and the situation around Israel. This is the explanation for the first time that the US directly participated in repelling airstrikes in Israel.
On April 13, the US military took the initiative to shoot down Iranian drones and missiles in an attack on Israel. Tehran's airstrikes were in response to Tel Aviv's attack on the Iranian consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus.
According to Mr. John Kirby, the conflicts are of different nature, in different airspace, and different threat contexts.
Mr. Kirby noted that from the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden made it clear that the United States had no intention of entering this conflict "in a combat role." Mr. Kirby said that Washington had provided Kiev with air defense capabilities.
"Unfortunately, we are not in a position to provide air defense assistance at this time," Mr. John Kirby added, complaining about Congress's delay in funding bills for America's foreign allies, including Ukraine and Israel.
The White House said it will not support a possible Republican effort to separate aid to Israel and Ukraine through separate bills, and remains determined to complete the passage of this aid package initiative in Congress.
Earlier, in a speech on the night of April 14, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Iran's attack on Israel, and said that his country also needed help from allies to counter aerial threats, just like Israel.