Why Ukrainian – Israeli Defense Cooperation Is in the U.S. National Security Interest

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Cooperation between Israel and Ukraine and the wartime experiences of both sides can live up to their unrealized potential amongst one another, as well as endowing the United States with valuable lessons on how warfare has evolved, which can be a formidable deterrent against China.

The wars in both regions have been viewed as two entirely separate conflicts with no outstanding connections between them beyond the obvious, being that the United States plays a pivotal role in both. However, the reality could not be further from this, as the adversaries on the opposing sides of the collective Western partners have increasingly coalesced to form a front around a few geopolitical objectives, namely, the blatant standoff against the United States and its allies.

First and foremost, as said by Lt. Col. Sobolevskyi on a panel at the Warsaw Institute, it is the harsh reality that this impromptu axis of Russia, China, D.P.R.K., Iran, and their proxies are “performing well” especially if “you estimate their abilities to help each other, you will see”. This can be acutely observed in Russia’s war effort, where its ‘allies’ have provided immense support, ranging from an economic lifeline provided by China to Iranian drone technology and production and all the way up to D.P.R.K. troops and ammunition.

This clearly demonstrates that the war is no longer solely Putin’s or even just Russia’s war effort. Instead, it has evolved into a unifying force, bringing together countries that have now become allies through shared circumstances. While their shared common interests are limited if not even conflicting at times, regardless, the implications of such cooperation speak volumes to the effectiveness and impactfulness of such a multi-nationally interwoven support network.

While it may seem that it’s centered around Russia, the fact of the matter is that it goes both ways. For example, Iranian-Russian relations have experienced a broadened scope, especially in terms of drones and ballistic missiles, leading to a relationship that aids and abets each other’s war and geopolitical goals. This format applies to the D.P.R.K as well, whereby they, too, have received technological aid from Russia in turn for material support in their war efforts in Ukraine. With this in mind, it is Lt. Col. Sobolevskyi who summarizes this predicament best: “It’s a pity to say, but they (Russia, D.P.R.K., China, etc.) are performing better than the entire[ty] of [the] Western allies.”

Drones have not only come to heavily effect wars on the battlefield but also on a more geostrategic level, where drone cooperation in terms of production, sharing, and cooperation has come to be an ever-influencing factor. Or Yissachar, the Vice President at the Israeli Defense and Security Forum, explained, “Drones [are] symbolizing the cooperation not just between Russia and Iran but also between the larger axis against western hegemony”. These present themselves as “common targets,” wherein Iranian drone support for the Russians is as much of an interest in Ukraine as it is for Israel. This all goes to say that “shared interests are a force multiplier[s]” which couldn’t be closer to the truth, meaning the collective West, approach must not look at Israel and Ukraine in a piecemeal fashion but rather as two symptoms of an identical issue.

This suggests that the same impromptu axis’s resolve must be matched by the collective West in response. The West must bring a broader perspective beyond the limited confines of regional conflicts. In other words, as Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said, it is an “interconnected web of threats” with a “China-led axis.”

Furthermore, were this concept to be engaged more in-depth by both sides, such as in the case of Iranian weapons capabilities stemming from Russia, those can be the subject of Ukrainian operations, and vice versa for Russian capabilities stemming from Iran, which falls more into the purview of Israeli operations. Meaning, that by way of “[channeling] these challenges between Israel and Ukraine into a full-fledged cooperation”, as Or Yassachar said, could not only benefit Israel and Ukraine in their near future war efforts, but also aid the United States and the collective Western efforts in curtailing hostile actions by state and non-state actors in Europe and the Middle east.

Moreover, with the currently unfolding events in Syria, it presents itself as a renewed pressure point for the West towards the Russians and the Iranians, emphasis on the first. Whereby, forcing the Russians to commit more resources to keep Bashar Al Assad’s regime afloat can directly serve to hamper Russia’s efforts in Ukraine and elsehwere. Furthermore, the aforesaid cooperation between Israel and Ukraine could now have tangible and quick ramifications for the war in Ukraine as well as in Syria.

Overall, strengthening cooperation between Israel and Ukraine should be a top priority on both a bilateral and a multilateral level. Both countries have gained invaluable experience and expertise on the modern battlefield and within their institutions as well. The West has many lessons it needs to learn from based upon their experiences, this will pose them as critical allies in critical times in critical places. Last but not least, these lessons learned should be employed as a credible deterrent against China with Taiwan.

Benjamin Bardos is a Defense Policy Expert at the Warsaw Institute, Warsaw, Poland