Macron pledges faster missile interceptor deliveries to Ukraine as Russian strikes kill dozens

French President Emmanuel Macron has pledged to boost support for Ukraine by speeding up deliveries of interceptor missiles, following a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which the two discussed Kyiv's pressing shortage of air defence equipment. The call came as Russian strikes intensified, pushing civilian death tolls to their highest level since the early months of the invasion.

Macron said cooperation would continue through the Anti-Missile Coalition, launched in Paris in July, which brings together ten European countries developing a cheaper alternative to the US Patriot system. At that meeting, Macron had announced France would accelerate deployment of the SAMP/T system to Ukraine and grant licences allowing Kyiv to manufacture interceptor missiles as well as SCALP long-range cruise missiles.

Writing on Telegram, Zelenskyy said the two sides had agreed to speed up delivery of the latest French equipment and missiles, thanking Macron for confirming readiness to provide production licences. Macron, posting on X, said it was crucial to give Ukraine all necessary means to defend its skies.

The Patriot system remains the only weapon in Ukraine's arsenal able to intercept Russia's high-speed ballistic missiles, which Moscow has used heavily against Kyiv in recent months, leaving residents little time to reach shelter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that Ukrainian strikes aimed at cutting off financing for Moscow's war effort had opened a "Pandora's box" of retaliation. Meanwhile, members of the France-and-Britain-led Coalition of the Willing were due to meet Monday to discuss increasing pressure on Moscow to end the invasion, as US-brokered diplomacy has stalled while Washington focuses on its conflict with Iran.

Macron expressed shock over an attack on a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih that killed 16 people. In Kyiv, a ballistic missile strike killed two people and wounded several others as Germany's foreign minister Johann Wadephul was visiting the city. Russia's defence ministry said it had targeted drone-transport trucks near Kyiv and military-linked sites in the Odesa region, where officials reported several wounded. At least four people were killed in strikes on the Zaporizhzhia frontline region.

Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia and occupied territories killed at least ten people, including at a warehouse belonging to online retailer Ozon and in a strike on a bus in Crimea, according to Russian-installed officials.