EU foreign policy chief urges countries to send Ukraine air-defense interceptors nearing expiry

Kaja Kallas says countries should send Ukraine air-defense interceptors before they expire, arguing that Kyiv lacks the equipment needed to protect civilians from Russia’s intensified aerial attacks.

“The main issue is air defence. They are lacking interceptors,” the European Union’s foreign policy chief told reporters as she arrived for an informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Wicklow, Ireland. She said some countries possess interceptors that will soon reach their expiry dates and urged them to give the weapons to Ukraine so they can still be used to protect its people.

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The main issue is air defence. They are lacking interceptors.

Her appeal came after an overnight Russian air offensive hit Kyiv and surrounding areas. At least 12 people were killed, including an Indian national, and more than a dozen were injured. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the attack involved large numbers of jet-powered drones and ballistic missiles, damaging residential buildings and civilian infrastructure.

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We know that some of the countries have interceptors that will expire soon. So, it would be very good if those would be given to Ukraine so that they can use them to protect their people.

Kallas said July and August had been the deadliest months for civilians and accused Russia of escalating attacks to break Ukraine by causing as much harm as possible. Zelenskyy said the strikes were deliberately planned “to destroy lives as much as possible --and it succeeds only when air defence resources are insufficient”.

Ukraine has fought Russia since February 2022 and faces a severe shortage of interceptor missiles, including American-built Patriot systems used against ballistic threats. The account also links the wider global shortage to the US war in Iran, saying Moscow has used the situation to intensify its bombardments.

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Russia is really escalating to hurt the people of Ukraine as much as possible to break them.

Russian drone strikes have also increased against export infrastructure in the Odesa region, according to the account. Kyiv has been forced to reroute cargo through lower-capacity Danube ports and western border rail crossings. Kallas said the EU was seeking interceptors from non-EU states while working with Ukraine to produce European systems.

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Overall, 12 people were killed, among them an Indian citizen, and dozens more were injured in the attack.