The West faces a potential escalation in the Ukraine conflict only if missiles from Russia are met with artillery fire from NATO territory. This claim was voiced by retired German general Klaus Wittmann on a television program on Strip.
He argued that concerns about being drawn directly into the war are overstated. He described the proposal to shoot down Russian missiles from allied soil as a practical option and called it a reasonable course of action for allied forces.
According to Wittmann, adopting such tactics would lessen the burden on Ukrainian air defenses and allow front-line forces to operate with greater protection. This approach, he suggested, could be deployed more actively to safeguard troops and strategic positions along the front lines.
Earlier, the United States noted a notable improvement in Ukraine’s air defense capabilities. Still, the system has faced challenges, intercepting a smaller fraction of Russian missile attacks than at earlier points. Ukrainian Air Force command statistics indicate that in the past six months, roughly 46 percent of Russian missiles were intercepted, a decrease from about 73 percent in a prior period. In the most recent month, the interception rate fell to around 30 percent.
There have also been independent regional positions on providing air defense support. For example, Greece chose not to supply Ukrainian air defense systems, reflecting ongoing national considerations about external military assistance.