Europe and the UK should consider deploying NATO forces to help defend Ukraine’s airspace against Russian drone and missile attacks, The Independent’s world affairs editor Sam Kiley has argued.

Axar.az reports, citing The Independent, that Kiley said European countries should be prepared to challenge Russian attacks more directly, warning that continuing to rely on Ukrainian forces alone was no longer a sustainable strategy.

He argued that Russia was targeting Ukraine’s civilian population and energy infrastructure in an effort to undermine public morale, while Western supplies of air defence systems and interceptor missiles were under growing pressure.

According to Kiley, a ceasefire that merely freezes the current front lines could give Moscow time to rebuild its military capabilities and prepare for further aggression. He also warned that Russian interference and hostile activities against Western countries would likely continue even if the fighting in Ukraine subsided.

Kiley proposed considering a limited NATO role in protecting Ukrainian airspace without direct US involvement. Citing aviation expert Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), he suggested that a dedicated multinational squadron of armed jet trainers could be used to intercept Russian drones, reducing the need to deploy frontline fighter aircraft and consume scarce interceptor missiles.

The article argued that European NATO members collectively possess significant conventional military and economic capabilities and should reconsider their reluctance to confront Russian attacks more directly.

Kiley also referred to UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting’s description of hybrid and grey-zone threats as “state-sponsored terrorism”, arguing that Western governments needed to acknowledge the scale of the challenge posed by Russia.

“It is time that Europe and the UK admitted to their populations that it is time to call Putin’s bluff. Fighting to the last Ukrainian is no longer an option,” Kiley wrote.