With China in Sight, United States Moves to Lock In Ukraine

Washington and Kyiv Accelerate Toward a Drone Alliance

The Nimitz-class nuclear aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) leads a group of multinational ships

I know a lot of regular readers of The Concis are still trying to wrap their heads around the idea of the United States supplying long-range air-defense systems to Ukraine.

I get it.

Because I felt the same disorientation when I first heard President Zelensky, on July 16, mention a potential drone deal with the United States. My first thought? That can’t be real. Somewhere inside, a part of me wanted it to be true—but my mental archive of U.S. defense policy screamed the opposite.

Then came the second jolt. The newly appointed Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, echoed the same claim on her first full day in office.