Ukraine showing ‘remarkable innovation’: Kyiv ‘holding front line’ while striking Russia’s economy

Summary

Genie Godula is pleased to welcome Samantha de Bendern, Associate Fellow at Chatham House, author, and political risk and financial consultant. Europe is taking increasingly consequential steps to support Ukraine, but de Bendern warns that they remain insufficient to address the country's fundamental vulnerability. The transfer of interceptor missiles and the prospect of producing Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles domestically represent significant shifts, particularly as US Patriot stocks become increasingly constrained. Yet the larger question is whether Ukraine's allies are prepared to move beyond supplying weapons towards actively helping to protect Ukrainian airspace. That debate reaches back to the earliest weeks of the full-scale invasion: even after President Biden warned in 2022 of an imminent Russian attack, Kyiv's allies ruled out enforcing a no-fly zone, fearing that direct engagement between NATO and Russian forces could escalate into a wider war with Moscow.