Ukraine's allies announced additional air defence support for Kyiv at a summit in Paris on Monday, along with exercises for the forces that will be deployed after a ceasefire, as part of efforts to increase pressure on Russia to end the war.
Representatives of the 37 coalition members, including Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, gathered for the 16th meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, launched by France and the United Kingdom to provide military support to Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
"We are determined to continue supporting Ukraine even faster and more forcefully," French President Emmanuel Macron said at the close of the meeting.
What was achieved during the meeting:
- Establishment of an " anti-ballistic missile coalition "
- Ukraine will acquire 16 Rafale jets (made by French company Dassault), operational by 2028–2029
- Ukraine will be granted a licence to produce Aster missiles used in the French/Italian anti-missile SAMP/T batteries
- Implementation of a Multinational Force for Ukraine
The United States is not an active member of the "coalition of the willing" but has sent observers to some of its 16 summits. The current gathering follows US President Donald Trump's announcement on 8 July that the US will allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot systems itself.
According to a report by the Congressional Research Service, the Patriot system is the US's "most advanced air defence system", and Ukraine has 17 units, but they are "expensive and limited in supply".
Weapons monitoring portal Armyrecognition.com reports that SAMP/T batteries, produced by French-Italian joint venture Eurosam, offer a viable alternative to the US system, combining "next-generation radar with upgraded interceptors to deliver performance aligned with the most modern Patriot variants".
The meeting came the day before France's national public holiday Bastille Day, which includes a military parade which this year will highlight support for Ukraine, opening with 500 soldiers from coalition countries.
Zelensky, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will attend the parade with a host of other coalition leaders.
"It is time to put an end to this pointless bloodshed in Ukraine," Merz said after the summit.
He said support for Ukraine, for which Germany's ambassador to Russia was summoned on Monday, was "for the sake of freedom throughout Europe".
'Double down'
Starmer said now was the time to "double down" to end the war, at a time when Ukraine appears to be turning the tide in the conflict by stabilising the front line and striking deep inside Russia.
The UK on Monday joined the European Union's €90 billion support loan for Ukraine and introduced along with the bloc a sanctions package targeting malicious Russian cyber actors.
Before the summit, 10 countries announced the formation of a coalition to develop "purely defensive" anti-ballistic capabilities for Europe.
"We do this not against any people, but in defence of our own," said the joint declaration by Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the UK.
"Strong and sufficient anti-ballistic capabilities are essential to bringing Russia's war against Ukraine to an end," Zelensky said in a post praising the initiative.
During the traditional speech delivered to the armed forces before Bastille Day, Macron said Europe was "in the process of becoming a power" ready to "defend itself".
"The message we send to the world is this: yes, peace is our goal. Yes, we cherish freedom and the rule of law. And yes, we stand ready to fight to defend them. Always, and at the cost of blood if necessary."
(with newswires)
