Paris, France. Western allies will seek additional air-defence commitments for Ukraine at a meeting on Monday, as shortages leave the country increasingly exposed to Russian ballistic missiles despite recent shifts in battlefield momentum.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will join at least 25 leaders at the Coalition of the Willing meeting, which will also address a common position to present to Russia and security guarantees for any eventual peace deal.
Air-defence cooperation
The meeting follows a NATO summit held days earlier that sought to demonstrate transatlantic unity and long-term support for Ukraine.
A French presidency official said discussions would focus on anti-ballistic-missile cooperation, including sourcing more U.S. Patriot interceptors, advancing deployment of the Franco-Italian SAMP-T air-defence system and examining how European and Ukrainian defence industries could develop alternatives.
One option under consideration is cooperation among European countries on a system that would complement SAMP-T and/or Patriot, with Ukraine playing a significant role in production.
Missile attacks
Russia launched missile and drone attacks on Ukraine on Saturday, killing eight people and wounding dozens more, according to officials. Zelenskiy called for efforts to provide Kyiv with weapons more quickly.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told Ouest-France on Sunday that ballistic missiles launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin were deliberately targeting civilian areas and that June was among the most deadly months since the start of the war.
Russia says it strikes only militarily relevant targets and denies targeting civilians.
Ukraine is critically short of munitions for its air-defence systems and has been largely unable over the past month to intercept ballistic missiles, which travel at several times the speed of sound.
