Zelenskyy calls for stronger European air defense support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday called for stronger European support for Ukraine’s air defense.

Speaking at a summit of cities and regions in the capital Kyiv, Zelenskyy said delegates from Poland, France, Austria, Romania, Norway, Germany, Portugal, Italy, the Baltic states, Hungary, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and several other countries joined the event.

He noted that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a former opposition candidate for the presidency of Belarus – a country that has been allied with Russia in the Ukraine war – also took part in the event.

Zelenskyy stressed that strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses should remain “priority number one” for political leaders across Europe.

“It is important to continue working together on the resilience of Ukrainian communities, and therefore on the resilience experience that will also be useful for communities in your countries,” he said.

Zelenskyy also said he had met with Edouard Philippe, the mayor of the French city of Le Havre and chairman of the Horizons party, thanking France for its support and describing Philippe’s visit as “an important manifestation of solidarity with Ukraine.”

The two discussed Ukraine’s bid for EU membership, with Zelenskyy expressing hope that all negotiating clusters could be opened “in the near future.”

The Ukrainian leader also said the talks focused on energy assistance and defense cooperation, including Kyiv’s goal of strengthening air defenses and creating “its own European anti-ballistic system.”