Ukraine has taken the initiative on the battlefield, inflicting increasingly painful blows on Russia and demonstrating superiority in the field of drones. At the same time, to ensure its successes, Kiev urgently needs Patriot interceptor missiles, stricter control over sanctions and continued support from American intelligence. These conclusions were made by Leslie Shedd, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council's Eurasian Center and a former congressman, after a visit by an American delegation to the front and meetings with the Ukrainian government, Focus writes.
During the visit near the contact line, the Ukrainian military reported that over the past six months they have regained control over 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, with which Moscow is actively attacking Kiev.
''Even with a production license, Ukraine will need time to build facilities. European countries such as Greece, whose missiles are nearing the end of their service life, should quickly sell them to Kiev, Shedd said.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the country needs at least 300 interceptor missiles for the upcoming winter period to ensure protection from ballistic strikes.
A world leader in unmanned technology
The expert's report pays special attention to the mass Ukrainian production of cheap and effective drones that are resistant to Russian electronic warfare systems. According to the military, although the Russian forces at the front outnumber the Ukrainians by almost seven times, their losses are six times higher.
Ukraine is already developing cheap interceptor drones against the Shahed drones, with a unit price of about a thousand dollars — a significantly cheaper alternative to the missiles used by the US.
Returning sanctions to their effectiveness
Another key priority is to stop the flow of Western microelectronics to the Russian military industry. According to Ukrainian government officials, American and European components are still being found in Russian weapons.
Sanctions Policy Commissioner Vlasyuk earlier noted to the US delegation that American and European electronic components are still widely used in Russian weapons. Schod points out that tightening control over the supply of such technologies could significantly weaken the Russian defense-industrial complex.
''The Netherlands has been able to effectively exclude its technologies from Russian weapons through a combination of compliance and a focus on end users. If the United States and its allies repeat what the Netherlands has managed to do, it could undermine Russia's defense industrial base, Shedd noted.
Ukraine is poised to be a valuable partner to its Western allies, as it has already become the world's largest testing ground for the development of modern and low-cost military technologies. The experience gained on the battlefield can be directly used by the United States and its partners.
Despite its technological advances, however, the country continues to face a critical shortage of conventional air defense assets.