Ambassador to Germany explains why Ukraine asks allies to protect the skies over western oblasts with air defence

Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Oleksii Makeiev has argued that the idea of "protecting the sky" over part of Ukraine with Western air defence systems from neighbouring countries is very relevant and should not be seen as a "red line".

Makeiev reiterated in his opinion column for German newspaper Die Zeit that the idea of protecting the sky over Ukraine with Western air defence systems from the territory of neighbouring countries had already been discussed in the first weeks of the full-scale war, but the partners were not ready then. However, the large-scale missile and drone attack by Iran against Israel in April demonstrated that such a step is indeed possible and effective.

"Western states were downing the same Iranian-made drones that Russia uses every day to kill Ukrainians," the ambassador noted.

He argues that Western allies would not be crossing any critical red line or "declaring war against Russia" by providing such support to Ukraine.

"From the perspective of international law, this idea is no different from the military support that Ukraine is already receiving... The only rule that remains in force is the one established in the UN Charter: in the event of aggression, the country under attack has the right to self-defence and other countries have an absolute right to assist it in this. This assistance has no limitations, with the only exception being the use of weapons of mass destruction. If third countries assist the country under attack, it certainly does not give the aggressor the right to attack them now. Such a right does not exist at all," Makeiev said.

The ambassador pointed out that there have been many instances where a categorical "no" to certain assistance to Ukraine ultimately resulted in positive decisions over the course of the two years of full-scale war.

"If we stop now and refrain from further steps, it will become evident that the path we've taken so far has led nowhere. We'll end up nowhere. Russia's response to this is already clear: 'Russia's borders are endless'...

From a legal standpoint, everything is clear. Everything else is a matter of political will, leadership and accepting the fact that Europe is already in a state of war," he emphasised.

Makeiev noted the efforts of Ukrainians and their allies to rebuild and develop defence businesses within Ukraine so it can arm itself come to nothing without reliable airspace protection.

The ambassador also expressed gratitude to a number of Bundestag deputies who were already prepared to support such a move from Germany.

Last week, Berlin publicly confirmed that Ukraine has been given permission to use German-supplied weapons to strike targets on Russian territory for self-defence purposes. Chancellor Olaf Scholz has defended this decision, emphasising that it was carefully considered and coordinated with partners, while Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck expressed regret that this step had been delayed for so long.

A recent poll showed that the German public is divided over whether Ukraine should be allowed to use Western-supplied weapons to strike military targets in Russia.