Ukraine Should Get the Same Protection as Israel, U.S. Told

Prominent politicians in the Czech Republic have demanded that Ukraine be given the same kind of international support that was deployed to defend Israel from Iran’s massive attack over the weekend.

Hours after several countries—including the United States—helped to take out hundreds of drones and missiles launched by Tehran against Israel, several Czech politicians praised the coordinated response but lamented the lack of similar large-scale efforts to protect Kyiv from attacks by Russia. The public calls came as Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala prepared to travel to Washington, D.C. for a White House meeting with Joe Biden on Monday.

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Fiala told reporters before his departure that he expects to discuss the situation in the Middle East as well as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“The Ayatollahs’ night attack on Israel was successfully repelled thanks to a quick international response and a willingness to defend the airspace,” Martin Dvořák, a minister in Fiala’s cabinet, posted on X. “It’s a shame that we don’t vigorously defend the airspace over Ukraine anyway…”

Danuše Nerudová, a former Czech presidential candidate and current candidate for upcoming European Parliament elections, expressed similar sentiments. “​​Ukraine deserves the same forceful defense that Israel rightly received from its allies last night,” she wrote.

Markétka Gregorová, a Czech member of the European Parliament, also condemned Iran’s attack and hailed German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s promise over the weekend to supply Ukraine with a new U.S.-made Patriot air defense system. “I believe that the West will finally help build an air defense that protects Ukrainian civilians as well,” Gregorová wrote.

“President Biden will welcome Prime Minister Petr Fiala of Czechia to the White House on April 15 to further strengthen the U.S.-Czech relationship,” the White House said in a statement last month. “The leaders will reaffirm their resolute support for Ukraine as it defends against Russia’s war of aggression.”

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