Britain has joined a European air defence coalition with nine other countries, including Ukraine, to bolster protection against missile threats. The alliance, formally established at a summit in Paris, aims to create an integrated anti-ballistic missile defense architecture.
Sir Keir Starmer, the leader of the UK Labour Party, joined French President Emmanuel Macron and leaders from Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden in establishing the integrated anti-ballistic missile alliance. A statement from the French presidency emphasized that the protection of Europe requires a global solution of integrated missile defense architecture, to be developed through collective effort, technological openness, and trusted industrial cooperation.
The coalition aims to complement existing ballistic missile defense systems, including those already acquired or to be acquired by participating countries. The initiative comes as Ukraine faces increasing exposure to Russian ballistic missiles, with the country critically low on munitions for its air defense systems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended the summit, participating in broader discussions of the Coalition of the Willing, which also focused on common positions for negotiations with Russia and security guarantees for any future peace deal. The meetings followed a recent NATO summit aimed at demonstrating transatlantic unity and long-term support for Ukraine.
Recent Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine have resulted in casualties, with officials reporting eight dead and many more wounded in one Saturday incident. Moscow maintains it only targets military objectives and denies targeting civilians.
President Zelensky has been advocating for European collaboration on air defense systems, including Ukraine's own efforts to develop a lower-cost alternative to the U.S. Patriot system, known as the Freyja project. He stated after the announcement that the joint system is intended to supplement existing defenses and create a strong shield over Europe more quickly and affordably.
Discussions at the Paris meeting also addressed sourcing more U.S. Patriot interceptors and advancing the deployment of the Franco-Italian SAMP-T air defense system. Approximately a dozen European defense companies, including Eurosam, Leonardo, Thales, and Saab, along with Ukraine's Fire Point, participated in discussions with leaders.
In addition to air defense, the leaders also discussed measures to curb Russia's revenue sources, specifically targeting the use of oil tankers with opaque ownership structures to evade sanctions. The European Union is also set to adopt a new package of sanctions against Russia next week.
The coalition also announced plans for joint military exercises to advance the concept of a future multinational force in Ukraine. A French official clarified that these exercises would not be conducted within Ukraine but would involve land, air, sea, and training components tested continuously by participants to ensure credibility.