Europe is increasingly realizing that its security depends on Ukraine, while Ukraine itself is becoming less reliant on the United States.
This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by Ben Hodges, the former Commanding General of US Army Europe.
“Europe increasingly seems to understand and appreciate that Europe's security comes from Ukrainian success,” the retired General noted.
He also expressed disappointment that the Republican administration in the United States does not clearly view Russia as an enemy or “bad guy,” and is hesitant in providing assistance to Ukraine – something he believes could secure Europe for generations.
Hodges suggests that this administration may recognize – if it has not already admitted it – that the war has reached a turning point in Ukraine’s favor. He added that when the war is over and Ukraine has won, the administration will likely want to say: “Hey, we helped too. Part of the victory.”
The General emphasized that at this stage, the most important step for Western partners is investing in Ukraine’s defense industry, which has developed strong capabilities, including long-range strike systems. He stressed the need to scale up production significantly.
“You do not want enough, you want more than enough,” he said.
As reported by Ukrinform, Ukrainian forces received 485,000 drones and other equipment in 2026 through the DOT-Chain Defence weapons marketplace developed by the Defence Procurement Agency.
