French President Emmanuel Macron has announced additional air defence support for Ukraine after a deadly Russian drone attack on Kryvyi Rih. The central Ukrainian city is the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces carried out two waves of drone attacks on the city on Friday. The strikes killed at least 16 people and injured 130 others. The injured included 23 children.
Macron Condemns Russian Attack
Macron spoke with Zelenskyy after the attack. He expressed his “horror” and concern over the deadly strikes. The French president said Ukraine needs stronger capabilities to defend its airspace. He also announced plans to provide additional interceptor missiles.
Macron said European countries must continue putting pressure on Russia. He argued that Moscow should face greater pressure as long as it refuses to end the fighting and work towards peace.
Zelenskyy said his conversation with Macron lasted almost two hours. The leaders discussed Ukraine’s urgent air defence needs, funding and talks with the United States.
Kyiv Seeks Faster Weapons Deliveries
Zelenskyy said France and Ukraine agreed to speed up the delivery of French weapons and missiles. He also thanked Macron for France’s decision to consider licences for missile production. Such licences could allow Ukraine to produce more missiles domestically and improve its ability to replenish its air defence supplies.
Ukraine has repeatedly asked Western countries for more interceptor missiles. Kyiv says it needs additional systems to defend cities and infrastructure against Russia’s continuing missile and drone attacks.
European Leaders Condemn Kryvyi Rih Strike
The deadly attack has drawn strong criticism from European officials. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described the strike as “terror by design”.
The attack came as Russia continues its large-scale aerial campaign against Ukrainian cities and key infrastructure. The repeated strikes have placed Ukraine’s air defence network under growing pressure. Kyiv needs more interceptor missiles to protect its population and critical facilities from Russian attacks.
Ukraine Continues Strikes on Russian Energy Sites
Ukraine has also stepped up its long-range attacks against targets inside Russia. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces struck the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery during the previous 24 hours. He also reported attacks on a logistics hub in Russia’s Samara region and targets in the Black Sea.
Kyiv has increasingly focused on Russia’s energy infrastructure. Ukrainian forces have targeted oil refineries, fuel depots and terminals. Ukraine says these attacks aim to disrupt Russia’s energy sector and reduce Moscow’s ability to finance and support its war effort.
The latest developments show that both sides continue to rely heavily on long-range strikes. At the same time, Ukraine is pressing its Western allies for more air defence weapons as Russia maintains its attacks on Ukrainian cities.