France to Provide Ukraine Missile Production Licenses and Interceptors

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on August 22 that France will deliver additional interceptor missiles to Ukraine and provide licenses for their domestic production. The decision followed a Russian drone strike on August 21 that hit a shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, killing at least 16 people and injuring up to 130 others. During a two-hour phone call, Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agreed to accelerate the delivery of French equipment, including the Italo-French SAMP/T-NG system and SCALP long-range cruise missiles.

Macron offered to intercede with allies to secure more US-made Patriot interceptors, which are currently the only weapons in Ukraine capable of downing high-speed Russian ballistic missiles. He characterized the Russian attacks as an intensification of the "crime of its aggression" and stated that Russia is "revealing its weakness" by targeting civilians.

In response to the bombardments, Ukraine conducted long-range strikes against the Novokuybyshevsk oil refinery and a logistics hub in the Samara region of Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that these attacks opened a "Pandora’s box" and vowed to retaliate against sensitive economic sectors in Kyiv. Macron, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz are scheduled to co-chair a "Coalition of the Willing" meeting in Kyiv on August 24 to further strengthen support for Ukraine.