Macron Promises Missile Support to Ukraine Amid Attacks

French President Macron vows to deliver missile interceptors to Ukraine as Russian attacks escalate, expressing horror at recent civilian casualties.

French president Emmanuel Macron has promised to strengthen support for Ukraine with the delivery of interceptor missiles after a call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which they discussed Kyiv’s shortage of air defenses. This commitment comes amid a surge in Russian strikes that have pushed civilian deaths in the war to their highest levels since the early months of Moscow’s invasion.

Macron has stated that France will advance the deployment of the new SAMP/T missile system to Ukraine and will license Kyiv to manufacture both interceptor missiles and the SCALP long-range cruise missile, along with other munitions. He remarked on the necessity of collaboration with the Anti-Missile Coalition, which consists of 10 European countries working together on a more affordable anti-ballistic missile system as an alternative to the US Patriots.

During the call, Zelenskyy stated, “We agreed to accelerate the delivery of the latest French equipment and missiles,” although he did not provide additional details on the specific armaments. Macron commented on X, saying, “It is crucial to provide Ukraine with all the necessary means to defend its skies and thwart this aggression.”

The French president’s statements resonate particularly now, given the frequency of recent Russian missile attacks on Ukraine, especially targeting the capital, Kyiv. These hard-to-intercept weapons have made it exceedingly difficult for civilians to reach shelters in time.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Ukraine’s strikes, which Kyiv alleges are intended to undermine Moscow’s war efforts, have opened a “Pandora’s box” of potential retaliation from Russia. A meeting among Ukraine’s allies in the Coalition of the Willing, led by France and Britain, is set for Monday to devise plans to increase pressure on Moscow.

Macron expressed his “horror and emotion” over a recent attack on a shopping mall in Kryvyi Rih that resulted in the deaths of 16 people, while rescue operations continued at the site.

In another tragic development, a Russian ballistic missile struck the Boryspil district of Kyiv during the day, killing two individuals and injuring several others. The strike occurred while German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul was visiting Kyiv for discussions with Zelenskyy. Russia’s defense ministry has claimed the attack targeted trucks equipped for transporting long-range drones near Kyiv and other military assets in the Odesa region.

There were also reports of injuries in the Odesa region, where Governor Oleg Kiper stated that three people, including a 16-year-old girl, were wounded in a coordinated strike affecting residential areas and grain silos. Additionally, Ukrainian officials reported at least four fatalities resulting from a series of assaults on the frontline region of Zaporizhzhia.

Ukrainian drone strikes also resulted in at least ten casualties in areas across Russia and Russian-occupied Ukraine, one of which targeted a warehouse for Ozon, the second-largest online retailer in Russia, prompting a statement from the company about injuries sustained during the attack.

On the Crimean peninsula, at least two people were reported killed and ten injured after a Ukrainian drone hit a bus, as confirmed by the Moscow-backed governor of Sevastopol. The ongoing conflict continues to escalate with further assaults reported in the Luhansk region, controlled predominantly by Russia, resulting in additional civilian injuries and deaths.