Sky Shield: A Practical Security Shield for Ukraine - by Lena Denman

The American Ukraine PAC calls on members of Congress and the Trump Administration to encourage bilateral and multilateral treaties between Ukraine and Western governments to help secure a lasting peace for Ukraine and the whole of Europe. The American Ukraine PAC endorses the plan for the European adoption of Sky Shield: A practical security shield for Ukraine.

Ukrainians are also fighting for their homeland, for their survival, and for their identity as an internationally recognized ethnic group. Children have studied under occupation and air raid sirens, the destruction of international heritage sites and bombing of hospitals are only a few of the many atrocities the Russian Federation has perpetrated with impunity in recent years.

Therefore, Ukraine must be provided a path to end the current conflict with the aggressor state of Russia as quickly as possible. The invasion of Kursk provided Ukraine with a bargaining chip with the Russian government in future ceasefire negotiations, so it is possible for some trading of land to occur before lines are clarified between the Ukrainian and Russian governments.

If the current conflict were to be frozen along the present territorial lines, with Ukraine surrendering to Russia the land they have taken, Russia is not likely to return lands annexed. This prognostication is not unmerited. Russia has not relinquished territories taken in South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia. Other territories in Europe also remain under Russian control, including Transnistria and Kaliningrad. It is highly unlikely that Russia will at any point over the next decades willfully relinquish the parts of Ukraine it has unlawfully annexed. With this acknowledgment, the U.S. should work with Western allies to provide as many bilateral and multilateral agreements to secure all unoccupied Ukrainian territory. The U.S. should also encourage the European security agreement to include coverage of the sky over Ukraine.

We ask for members of Congress to vocalize their support for the European plan for the air support of Ukraine known as Sky Shield. This is a European-led integrated Air Protection Zone IAPZ that allows for an air force patrolling Ukrainian skies with armed aircraft. All appropriations for this plan will come from European States. Members of Congress should encourage European efforts to develop their security and provide air protection for civilians and the entire territory of unoccupied Ukraine.

This initiative provides for the closing of the Ukrainian skies, as President Zelensky first requested in 2022. President Biden, while supporting Ukraine, did not have the political will to close the Ukrainian skies and enforce a no-fly zone. This may have been due to Russian saber-rattling and fear of a war spreading beyond Ukrainian borders. President Trump has called for peace in Ukraine. We agree, however, that peace must be durable and lasting. American national security benefits from a peaceful and safe Europe that is not dominated by the Russian Federation.

The Ukrainian Government’s airspace should be utilized by all states allied with Ukraine to help mitigate the potential impact of a nuclear or radiological incident. Considering the response to the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986, the negligence by which Russia has treated the Zaporizhian Nuclear Power Plant, and the recent Shahed UAS strike on the Chernobyl sarcophagus, Russia has proven it cannot be trusted with the globe’s nuclear security. Russia’s proximity to Ukraine’s nuclear assets requires risk mitigations and swift actions to be put into place by Ukraine and Europe. Indeed, all of Europe and the broader international community benefits when nuclear incidents are addressed swiftly under the legal framework provided for in the 1986 International Treaty from the IAEA, the Convention on Assistance in the case of a Nuclear Accident or Radiological Emergency.

The benefit of the implementation of Sky Shield’s mobilization of 120 European aircraft to defend Ukrainian skies, is that Europe takes most of the responsibility for Ukrainian and European security. The United States should continue to encourage the Europeans to protect their continent. American foreign policy leadership should honor our founding father John Quincy Adams who famously stated in his July 4, 1821, address that America “goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy.” We should aim to be peacemakers who maintain that the principle of territorial sovereignty matters. Once the borderlines are redrawn after this conflict, there must be security assurances in place.

It is important that Ukraine be treated as an ally by the United States and welcomed fully into the European community. This means that American foreign policy leadership must suggest that Ukraine be given all the weapons they need to defend themselves in peacetime. The American government should provide a path for European states to purchase weapons from American defense firms. We should work with our allies to demonstrate that we are ready partners who will agree to not impede the use of US technology in European security but rather provide the latest research and developed technologies to European States supporting Ukraine. The latest weaponry should come with permission to use the technology in the defense of Ukraine and Ukrainian offensive operations.

This future partnership will strengthen Ukrainian and European security at the responsibility and expense of Europe while growing America’s defense industry and creating more jobs at home.  The adoption by Europe of the Sky Shield plan will yield a stronger, richer United States, enhancing American security and prosperity. The adoption of Sky Shield, paired with the advancement of the American defense industry, is a win-win for both the American and European workers. A lasting peace with the end of the Russo-Ukraine war is in the American national security and strategic interest.

Policy Call to Action:

·       Congress members and the Trump Administration provide vocal support such as floor speeches, discussions in open-door and closed-door diplomacy, and press releases supporting the idea of Sky Shield.

·       Congress and the Trump Administration support legislation that allows for a partnership with Europe to support Ukrainian security, including the encouragement of exportation of US weapons and defense technologies. Restrictions should not be placed on the use of such items.