Ukraine’s allies convene in Kyiv as Zelenskyy seeks air defence boost

‘Coalition of the Willing’ leaders stitchery connected Independence Day arsenic Kyiv presses for aerial defence supplies.

Ukraine volition big a gathering with its cardinal European allies to sermon aerial defence and property for greater unit connected Moscow arsenic Russia continues to escalate rocket attacks.

The “Coalition of the Willing” gathering successful Kyiv connected Monday volition beryllium jointly chaired by the leaders of the United Kingdom, France and Germany, with astir leaders expected to articulation by video telephone and a tiny fig of overseas dignitaries attending successful person.

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UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham volition beryllium successful Kyiv for his archetypal overseas travel since assuming bureau past month. European Council President Antonio Costa is besides acceptable to be successful person.

Kyiv is expected to question further interceptor missiles from allies aft weeks of Russian rocket and drone attacks that person driven grounds numbers of the superior city’s residents to metro stations and basements to question shelter.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made predominant nationalist appeals for much aerial defence supplies from allies.

The gathering takes spot connected Ukraine’s Independence Day and comes a time aft the state marked National Flag Day, erstwhile a radical of leaders from Nordic and Baltic countries met Zelenskyy successful Kyiv and pledged to boost their enactment for Ukraine.

Norway said it would supply different 85 cardinal kroner ($9.1bn) successful 2027, matching the enactment it gave Ukraine this year.

Escalating aerial attacks

Russia and Ukraine person escalated aerial attacks with drones and missiles successful caller weeks, striking targets acold beyond the beforehand line.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian logistics sites, carrying retired attacks connected locations linked to e-commerce companies Wildberries and Ozon.

Ozon reported fires aboriginal connected Monday astatine its warehouses successful Krasnodar and Makhachkala, some successful confederate Russia, adding that sites successful Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk were evacuated owed to threats of drone attack.

Russian authorities said 2 children were killed and 9 different people were wounded, including 7 minors, erstwhile drone debris deed a backstage childcare centre successful Krasnodar connected Monday. Debris besides fell connected flat buildings and acceptable warehouses alight successful the city, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said.

In the Stavropol region, which hosts galore chemic accumulation facilities, Governor Vladimir Vladimirov said a drone onslaught connected an concern country had been repelled aboriginal connected Monday.

In Ukraine, astatine slightest 2 women were killed and 5 radical wounded erstwhile a Russian drone deed an electrical bid successful Ukraine’s Kharkiv portion connected Sunday, determination officials said. An onslaught connected the outskirts of Kharkiv metropolis killed 3 radical and injured eight.

Ukraine’s allies person pledged to boost Ukraine’s depleted aerial defences successful the look of Russia’s increasing rocket attacks.

Before the meeting, Zelenskyy said deliveries of important Patriot interceptors had halved since 2023.

“Over the full of 2023, Ukraine received 675 missiles, and implicit each of 2025 – 364, adjacent though Russian rocket strikes person increased,” helium said.

“For 2026, arsenic presently projected, it is 264,” helium added, saying Ukraine was seeking a bundle of astatine slightest 300 for the upcoming winter.