Macron says France will provide more interceptor missiles to Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron says France will provide Ukraine with additional interceptor missiles and accelerate deliveries of military equipment following a deadly Russian attack on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih.
In a post on X on Saturday, Macron said he had spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after a daylight “double strike” on the city and expressed his “deep concern” over the attack.
“It is crucial to provide Ukraine with all the necessary means to defend its airspace and thwart this aggression,” he said, adding that France would step up its support, including through the deployment of interceptor missiles.
Macron also called for continued pressure on Moscow, saying France should maintain efforts to push Russia toward ending the fighting and negotiating peace.
In a separate post, Zelensky said his nearly two-hour conversation with Macron also covered Ukraine’s air-defense requirements, financing and contacts with Washington.
He said the two leaders had agreed to speed up deliveries of the latest French weapons and missiles.
The Ukrainian president also thanked Macron for France’s willingness to grant licenses allowing missiles to be manufactured in Ukraine.
The latest development came after Ukrainian authorities said two waves of Russian drone attacks hit Kryvyi Rih on Friday, killing at least 16 people and injuring 130 others, including 23 children. The city is Zelensky’s hometown.
The Russian attack has drawn condemnation from European officials, including EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, who described the strike as “terror by design.”
Kiev has repeatedly appealed to its Western allies for additional interceptor missiles as Russian missile and drone attacks continue to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued its own long-range attacks against Russian targets. Zelensky said Ukrainian forces struck the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery and a logistics facility in Russia’s Samara region, as well as targets in the Black Sea, over the previous 24 hours.
Kiev has increasingly used long-range strikes against Russian energy infrastructure, including refineries, oil depots and terminals, as part of an effort to disrupt Moscow’s economy and force Moscow into negotiating a peace deal on Kiev's terms.
Moscow, however, condemns these strikes as "terrorist attacks" that have resulted in numerous civilian casualties, emphasizing that Ukrainian assaults have claimed the lives of a multitude of Russian civilians.
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