Kyiv has already seen 22 missile strikes in about five minutes tonight. More are reportedly on the way. An F-16 chasing a Kalibr cruise missile just flew over my head in the 45 minutes since I wrote the first sentence.
Tomorrow your news feeds will be filled with pictures of burning buildings in Kyiv. Below are the photos that you need to stay focused on.
President Trump needs to send Ukraine more ballistic missile interceptors - Patriots or THAADs or both. Not because Ukraine is a victim, but because Ukraine is keeping Americans safe in the Gulf. Russia is sending drones and missiles to Iran, and Ukraine, America’s partner, is taking out those missile and drone manufacturers inside Russia.
Iran has killed 14 US service members with Russian-made drones. Ukraine is sending anti-drone tech to the Middle East to defend against the Russian weapons and destroying the drones and missiles where they are made.
Ukraine is shooting down the arrows, but more importantly, Ukraine is killing the archers and taking out the folks that make the arrows. It needs to be able to protect its citizens while doing it. President Trump can help.
Ukraine is going to keep fighting. They have no option. Putin’s plan for Ukraine under his control is mapped out by how he rules the 20% of Ukraine he already occupies. Rape is a method of controlling the population. He has trafficked tens of thousands of Ukrainian children to Russia. He has shut down every church in occupied Ukraine he does not control.
Ukraine is paying the price for freedom in the blood of civilians. And they are one of the few of America’s European allies protecting America’s troops in the Gulf. The longer Ukraine fights, the more Russia’s capacity to arm America’s adversaries decreases.
Trump reached out to Europe for help in Iran. Ukraine answered the call.
Ukraine says it needs about 300 Patriot missile interceptors to get it through the winter. Who in Europe has Patriots that could be better used in Ukraine?
Spain ordered four Patriot batteries in 2025. Spain was vociferous in its rejection of Trump’s request for help in Iran. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said"No to war" in summing up his government’s opposition to Trump. Budget Minister María Jesús Montero added that Spain "will not be vassals" to another country.
Does Spain really need those Patriot batteries? I doesn’t sound like they do. Reporting is unclear on when the Patriots are to be delivered, but they would do a lot more good in Ukraine than Spain.
Ukraine is swatting down the arrows, killing the archers and taking out the factories making the arrows. But there is another way to stop the ballistic missiles. Europeans can stop sending money to Russia.
In June, Spain purchased enough LNG from Russia to fund the production of 66 Kinzhal ballistic missiles, like the 22 that have hit in Kyiv already tonight. Only five EU countries currently purchase Russian fossil fuel in significant quantities. Spain is number five in the EU, with 7.8 billion Euro in LNG purchases since January 1, 2023, behind Hungary, Slovakia, France and Belgium respectively. For perspective, Spain has given about €1.435 billion in support of Ukraine in that time period, funding Russia at about 5.4x the amount it is sending to Ukraine.
The EU - primarily Hungary, Slovakia, France, Spain and Belgium - has funded Putin’s war machine to the tune of $13 billion in 2026 alone. That buys Putin almost 3000 Kinzhal ballistic missiles, which is more than he could possibly produce. Also, when counting Ukraine’s friends in Europe, it is worth noting that France, Spain and Belgium have lobbied to delay the moratorium on EU purchases of Russian fossil fuel.
Ukraine is protecting Europe from Russia and American troops from Russia weapons. It is paying the cost in civilian lives. The cost need not be so high.
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