Ukraine marked 35 years of independence on Monday with European allies in Kyiv — and with a blunt request for more air defense.
The Coalition of the Willing met in the capital, co-chaired by UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who was in the city on his first foreign trip since taking office last month, and by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who joined by video. European Council President Antonio Costa attended in person. The gathering followed a Nordic and Baltic visit on Flag Day a day earlier, when Norway said it would provide another 85 billion kroner (about $9.1 billion) in 2027, matching this year’s support.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the meeting to put numbers on a shortage Kyiv has usually kept quiet. Ukraine received 675 Patriot interceptor missiles in 2023 and 364 in 2025, he said, even as Russian strikes increased. The projection for 2026 is 264. He said Ukraine needs a package of at least 300 interceptors to get through winter, and he cited a $27 billion defense funding gap this year.
Britain announced it would share classified technical information on UK-made parts of the Franco-British SCALP / Storm Shadow cruise missile, a step toward assembling the weapon in Ukraine. France has already licensed the technology. In a co-chairs’ statement, the coalition pledged to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses “as a matter of urgent priority,” share relevant technologies, tighten sanctions, and keep preparing a multinational force to deploy after a credible ceasefire.
The Kremlin was not impressed. Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said London was “throwing oil on the fire” and warned Russia would destroy plants producing the missile in Ukraine. Burnham, standing with Zelenskyy, said: “We are with you in this struggle all the way, heart and soul.” Zelenskyy, in an embroidered shirt, told the country and its guests that Ukraine wants peace but “is not ready to simply surrender.”
The diplomacy played out against another weekend of strikes. Regional officials said a Russian drone hit an electric train in the Kharkiv region on Sunday, killing two women; another attack on the outskirts of Kharkiv killed three. The Élysée statement said recent Russian attacks have caused the highest civilian casualties since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
