Macron: France to supply Ukraine with air-defense interceptor missiles

French President Emmanuel Macron said on the platform X that Paris will supply Ukraine with air-defense interceptor missiles, stressing that Kyiv needs every possible resource to defend its airspace and resist Russian aggression. Macron said he informed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the decision during a phone call, in which the two also discussed continued bilateral cooperation.

Patriot missile shortage

The announcement comes as Ukraine has nearly run out of interceptor missiles for its US-made Patriot air-defense systems, according to American broadcaster CNN, citing Ukrainian officials. In an interview aired by CNN on August 13, Zelensky said his country would need only 5% of the US missile stockpile to get through the winter.

Uncertainty over production license

At the NATO summit in Ankara in July, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington would hand Kyiv a license to produce Patriot missiles. He later walked the statement back, saying the question of transferring the production license to Ukraine had not yet been finally decided and that talks were still ongoing.

Deadly strike on Kyiv

Overnight Thursday, Russia launched a massive missile and drone attack on Kyiv that killed 15 people. Zelensky said Ukrainian forces shot down 90% of the cruise missiles used in the strike, while intercepting ballistic missiles remains more difficult. Russia continued launching ballistic missile strikes against Ukraine in the following days.