France ready to develop ballistic missile defense with Ukraine, says Zelensky, calling it 'important step'
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France is prepared to cooperate with Ukraine on developing a ballistic missile defense system, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 16 following a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The announcement comes as Kyiv seeks to unite international partners around the creation of an air defense shield within what Zelensky has described as an "anti-ballistic coalition."
"France is ready to work on anti-ballistic measures. This is a strong decision and an important step. We discussed strengthening our capabilities to repel Russian attacks right now," Zelensky said.
The conversation followed several deadly Russian attacks on Ukraine, including a large-scale missile and drone strike on Kyiv on May 14 that killed 24 people and injured 48 others.
Ukraine has repeatedly urged its allies to bolster the country's air defense capabilities as Russia continues its long-range strikes on cities and civilian infrastructure.
Zelensky said earlier in the week that several countries met on May 12 to discuss the production of anti-ballistic weapons in Europe.
"We are forming an anti-ballistic missile coalition. It is the right thing to do, and we are closer to achieving this goal now than ever before," the president said at the time.
According to Zelensky, representatives from 13 countries and the Office of the NATO Secretary General participated in the meeting on ballistic missile defense cooperation.
In April, the Ukrainian president said he believed Ukraine would eventually jointly produce missile defense systems with European partners.
