French President Emmanuel Macron announced a package of new interceptor missiles for Kyiv following a Russian strike on Kryvyi Rih.
French Air Defense Commitments and the Coalition of the Willing
French President Emmanuel Macron pledged that Paris will deliver new interceptor missiles to Ukraine following a daylight double strike on Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown. The attack killed at least 16 people and injured 130 others, including 23 children, according to Ukrainian authorities. Kaja Kallas, the EU’s top diplomat, condemned the assault as terror by design.
In a post on X, Macron expressed his “horror” and “deep concern” over the incident. I announced to President Zelensky the strengthening of our support, with the delivery of interceptors and the continuation of our cooperation…,
Macron said. Macron also wrote: It is crucial to provide Ukraine with all the necessary means to defend its skies and thwart this aggression.
During a nearly two-hour phone call, Zelenskyy and Macron discussed Ukraine’s air defence needs, funding, and communications with Washington, among other things. Zelenskiy said he had spoken for almost two hours with Macron, who expressed his willingness to intercede on Ukraine’s behalf with allies who had stocks of U.S.-made Patriot interceptors. The Patriot air defence system is the only weapon in Ukraine’s arsenal capable of downing high-speed ballistic missiles used by Russia in its war in Ukraine. As Russia has escalated airstrikes, Zelenskiy has repeatedly appealed to allies to provide more of the interceptor missiles for the system, of which Ukraine has a shortage.
“We agreed to accelerate the delivery of the latest French equipment and missiles.”
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President of Ukraine
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s allies in the Coalition of the Willing – an initiative led by France and Britain – will meet on Monday to look at how to ramp up pressure on Moscow to halt its invasion. Macron added: We must also continue to increase the pressure on Russia as long as it chooses to refuse to halt the fighting and make peace.
Strained Interceptor Inventories and Rising Ballistic Threats
Russia has pounded Ukraine – the capital Kyiv especially – with ballistic missile attacks in recent months. The hard-to-intercept super-fast weapons reach their target within minutes, making it virtually impossible for people to reach underground shelters in time. Russia fired a ballistic missile towards Kyiv in the middle of the day – while the German foreign minister Johann Wadephul was visiting on Saturday for talks with Zelenskyy. Two were killed and several wounded in the incident.
Ukraine is also awaiting delivery of the new Italo-French SAMP/T-NG missile defence system, which many experts say should be capable of downing ballistic missiles although it has not yet been battle-tested. European diplomats had previously said it was not expected to arrive in Ukraine before spring next year.
Expanding Long-Range Strikes and Moscow’s Retaliation Warnings
Ukraine has responded by striking economic targets inside Russia in a campaign which Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday had opened a “Pandora’s boxof Russian retaliation, adding that Moscow would hit back at Kyiv's
most sensitive economic sectors”. Putin said on Saturday that Ukraine’s strikes, which Kyiv says seek to choke off financing for Moscow’s war effort, had opened a “Pandora’s box” of Russian retaliation. Putin warned Kyiv has opened Pandora’s box
after a campaign of Ukrainian strikes killed at least 10 people in Russia.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has pulled Russia’s ambassador from London, accusing Britain of taking the path of confrontation
. Andrey Kelin, who served as the Russian ambassador to the UK for over seven years, vacated his post on 21 July, reports The Times. It is understood that Moscow has not sought to appoint a replacement amid fears of a diplomatic breakdown.
It comes after prime minister Andy Burnham said the UK is continuing to support Ukraine 100 per cent
after Moscow threatened consequences for the reported use of British drones for strikes deep into Russia. Diplomacy has stalled with the US, which had brokered several rounds of direct talks between Kyiv and Moscow, but is now focused on its war with Iran.
Nordic Financial Support and Domestic Wartime Political Debates
At the same time, rescue workers sifted through the rubble of the site in the president’s home town after the shopping centre attack in the city of Kryvyi Rih. Key points of the ongoing conflict include France’s commitment to send interceptor missiles to Ukraine, Putin pulling his ambassador from London amid fears of a breakdown in diplomatic relations. Additional reports noted that at least 10 were killed in Ukrainian strikes across Russia. As Sam Rkaina reported at 13:40, holding a wartime election in Ukraine while active fighting with Russia continues would ‘destroy’ Ukraine, Zelenskiy says.
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