Macron pledges faster delivery of French missile interceptors to Ukraine amid rising Russian strikes

French President Emmanuel Macron told President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that France will speed up the delivery of interceptor missiles and grant licences for Ukraine to produce them, after a call in which Kyiv’s shortage of air-defence systems was discussed. The announcement follows a recent surge in Russian ballistic missile strikes that have raised civilian casualties to their highest level since the early months of the invasion.

Macron said France will continue working with the Anti-Missile Coalition, a group of ten European nations developing a cheaper alternative to the U.S. Patriot system, and will advance the deployment of the SAMP/T system along with SCALP cruise missiles and other munitions. Zelenskyy posted on Telegram that the two leaders had agreed to “accelerate the delivery of the latest French equipment and missiles” and thanked France for confirming the readiness to provide production licences.

In a separate post on X, Macron wrote that providing Ukraine with “all the necessary means to defend its skies” is crucial. The Patriot system remains the only Ukrainian asset capable of intercepting high-speed Russian ballistic missiles, which can reach targets within minutes.

The Kremlin’s response to recent Ukrainian drone attacks, which Moscow says target its war-financing infrastructure, was described by President Vladimir Putin as opening a “Pandora’s box” of retaliation. Meanwhile, the France-UK-led “Coalition of the Willing” is set to meet on Monday to discuss further pressure on Moscow, as diplomatic efforts involving the United States have stalled.

Macron also expressed his “horror and emotion” to Zelenskyy over a Russian strike on a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih that killed 16 people. On the same day, a Russian ballistic missile hit the Boryspil district near Kyiv, killing two and wounding several others. Additional strikes in the Odesa and Zaporizhzhia regions injured civilians, including a 16-year-old girl, and killed at least four people.

Ukrainian drones reportedly killed at least 10 people in attacks on Russian territory and occupied Ukrainian areas, including a warehouse belonging to online retailer Ozon. A drone strike on the Crimean peninsula killed two and injured ten, while a strike in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region killed two civilians, including a teenager.