Zelenskyy in Paris on a mission to secure air defense for his country

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is in Paris on a mission to secure crucial air defense systems, seeking alternatives to the U.S. Patriot interceptors which are in constant production deficit. The shortage of PAC-3 interceptors has been acutely felt in Ukraine, with the interception rate of Russian ballistic missiles recently dropping to near zero.

“

If we have enough protection for the winter, Russia will have significantly less reason to drag out the war until winter.

Recognizing that developing new anti-ballistic systems takes years, Zelenskyy appealed for a "winter package" of 300 Patriot interceptor missiles, ideally 100 per month throughout the winter. He stated that sufficient protection would significantly reduce Russia's incentive to prolong the war into the winter months. This proposal is seen as a key measure to bolster Ukraine's overall standing as Russia intensifies its air assaults, particularly on Kyiv in recent days.

Earlier, Ukraine and nine European partner nations established a Coalition for Ballistic Missile Defense. This initiative aims to enhance European anti-missile capabilities and support the development of Ukraine's indigenous Freya air defense system. The coalition includes Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, all joining Kyiv in an effort to build a "common European ballistic missile capacity."

“

We have calculated that this package should include 100 Patriot missiles per month - 300 missiles for the winter.

President Zelenskyy confirmed that the coalition will back Ukraine's Freya project, designed by the Ukrainian company Fire Point. Freya is intended as a more affordable equivalent to the American Patriot system, capable of effectively intercepting Russian ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy emphasized that strong and adequate ballistic missile capabilities are essential to ending Russia's war against Ukraine. Representatives from European defense companies also attended the inaugural meeting.

“

Strong and adequate ballistic missile capabilities are key to ending the Russian war against Ukraine.