Ukraine seeks air defence as Patriot deliveries fall

Ukraine is hosting key European backers in Kyiv on Monday to seek more air-defence supplies and further pressure on Moscow, as President Volodymyr Zelensky said deliveries of crucial Patriot interceptors had fallen since 2023.

The Coalition of the Willing meeting is to be jointly chaired by the leaders of Britain, France and Germany. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is in Kyiv for his first international trip since entering 10 Downing Street, while several other leaders are expected to join remotely. EU Council President Antonio Costa is also due in Kyiv.

The talks come after recent Russian ballistic missile strikes on Kyiv that have killed civilians and damaged apartment blocks. AFP reported that escalating Russian strikes have pushed civilian deaths to their highest levels since the first months of Russia's 2022 invasion.

Zelensky said Ukraine received 675 Patriot interceptors in 2023 and 364 in 2025, even as Russian missile strikes increased. He said current projections for 2026 stood at 264, and that Ukraine was seeking a package of at least 300 for the coming winter.

Kyiv relies on advanced systems, chiefly US Patriot interceptors, to stop ballistic missiles. Zelensky said Russia could produce around 100 ballistic missiles a month.

Burnham said before his arrival that Russia “should be in no doubt of our resolve” and that Britain would not back down until there was “a just and lasting peace”. He is set to announce that the British government is authorising defence firm MBDA to release classified information needed to help Ukraine and France set up local production of the long-range SCALP missile.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on X on Saturday that France would deliver new interceptor missiles, saying it was crucial to provide Ukraine with the means to defend its skies.

The Coalition of the Willing began as a Franco-British initiative involving countries willing to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine if a ceasefire were reached. It has since become a forum for coordinating support for Ukraine amid uncertainty over US commitments under Donald Trump.