Former Vice President Mike Pence and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky say stopping Russian ballistic missile attacks is critical to Ukraine’s security. In an interview with NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday,” Pence argues that Russian forces have shifted to high-trajectory ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which he says require air-defense capabilities to blunt the attacks.
Both Pence and Zelensky emphasize deterrence and the practical need for systems that can counter missile and missile-like threats. The reports describe a focus on Patriot and related air-defense assets as key tools for intercepting such strikes. The core message is that maintaining and improving Ukraine’s ability to defend against ballistic and cruise missiles reduces Russia’s ability to apply these weapons against civilian and military targets.
While the outlets focus on different framing—Pence on the operational shift in Russia’s tactics and what he calls the “last fighting tool” effect, Zelensky on the broader strategic requirement for deterrence and protection—the shared point is that Ukraine’s continued access to missile defense is central to reducing ballistic attack pressure.
