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Kyiv hit as coalition forms
Russia launched a new ballistic missile attack on Kyiv, and Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said early on Tuesday that air defence units were attempting to repel the attacks.
“Russia has launched a new ballistic missile attack on Kyiv”
Klitschko added that fires had broken out in the Holosiivskyi district of the city after the attacks, as Ukraine and nine European countries announced an air defence coalition aimed at countering the ballistic missile threat from Moscow.
The announcement came as the war entered its fifth year, with the “Coalition of the Willing” meeting in Paris on Monday to discuss how to support Ukraine and pressure Russia to end the war.
The coalition’s plans include the development of a new anti-ballistic missile system as an alternative and cheaper solution to the United States’ Patriot system, and the leaders said it would complement existing ballistic missile defence systems.
In the same period, at least nine people were killed on Sunday in attacks in both Ukraine and Russia, according to Al Jazeera’s account of the escalation.
Macron, Zelenskyy and Kremlin
At the Paris talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, “The more means Ukraine has to shoot down Russian ballistic missiles, the greater the chance that Putin will come to the negotiating table,” framing the effort around a joint system called Freyja.
The Guardian reported that the 10 nations said in a statement, “Our goal is to build a shared ballistic missile defence capability for Europe,” while also noting that no timeframe for the anti-ballistic programme was given.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced after the meeting that the Multinational Force for Ukraine would hold exercises in neighbouring countries in the coming months “to validate our deployment plans and demonstrate that we are ready, determined and credible”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the summit as hostile, saying, “This is a coalition of warmongers,” and Anadolu Ajansı reported that Russia would closely monitor the meeting in Paris.
AP also quoted the coalition statement in Paris, saying, “Our goal is to build a shared ballistic missile defense capability for Europe,” and described Zelenskyy asking two dozen leaders for help against Russia’s missile attacks.
What comes next for Europe
The coalition’s statement said it would develop “an integrated missile defence architecture, to deter and neutralise future missile threats,” and it described the plan as open to other countries while giving no time frame for setting up the defense system.
“within the next 12 months, jointly develop a mass-produced, low-cost system”
Zelenskyy told partners that Ukraine and its partners could, within the next 12 months, jointly develop a mass-produced, low-cost system, and AP reported that the plan was intended to let Europe supply itself with new antiballistic capability.
NBC News said Ukraine is critically low on munitions for its systems and has been largely unable to down ballistic missiles over the past month, while leaders gathered in Paris to press on the Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition.
The Guardian reported that the UK also signed up to participate in the EU’s €90bn (£77bn) support loan for Ukraine, and it said the move would let UK firms provide more weapons paid for by the funds.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said it would closely monitor the “coalition of the willing” meeting, with Peskov arguing the countries were “deluding” themselves with the idea they could inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia.
