NATO Seeks Urgent Air Defenses After Russian Missile Strike

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that the alliance is working to provide Ukraine with urgent air defense capabilities following a Russian attack on Wednesday. During that strike, Russia launched 24 ballistic missiles that killed at least 17 people; Ukrainian forces failed to intercept any of the ballistic missiles, though they shot down 98 of 115 drones.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that air defense missile supplies in the first half of 2026 dropped to one-third of 2025 levels. He attributed this shortage primarily to the US-Israel war on Iran and warned that Russia is ramping up ballistic missile production to target energy infrastructure during the winter.

While Donald Trump previously suggested the United States would license Ukraine to produce Patriot interceptors, he later stated no final decision has been made. US officials are reportedly continuing to discuss production options as Lockheed Martin works to increase annual capacity. Germany is expected to open Europe's first Patriot missile production facility in September.