Russia launches ballistic missile strike on Kyiv after Ukraine-EU air-defence coalition announcement

Russia fired a ballistic missile at Kyiv on Tuesday, prompting the city’s mayor to say air-defence units were engaging the strike and that fires broke out in the Holosiivskyi district. > "We are trying to repel the attacks," mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

The assault came hours after Ukraine and nine European countries announced the formation of an Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition in Paris, aimed at creating a cheaper alternative to the U.S. Patriot system. Leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement: "We believe that the protection of Europe requires a global solution of integrated missile-defence architecture to deter and defeat future missile threats, developed through collective effort, technological openness and trusted industrial cooperation."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged allies to supply more weapons and support the joint “Freyja” project, describing it as a supplement rather than a replacement for existing systems. > "The more means Ukraine has to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles, the greater the chance that Putin will come to the negotiating table," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced that Ukraine had ordered new Franco-Italian air-defence systems and 16 Rafale fighter jets slated for delivery in 2028-2029, and that a licence to produce French missiles had been granted. He also said allies would begin military exercises in neighboring states as part of a plan for a multinational force after a cease-fire.

The missile strike underscores the heightened threat posed by Russian ballistic weapons, which travel at several times the speed of sound, and follows a recent wave of escalated attacks on both Ukrainian and Russian territories that have caused dozens of civilian casualties.