Western Allies Form Missile Defense Coalition in Paris

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with approximately 25 to 35 heads of state in Paris on July 13, 2026, as part of the Coalition of the Willing to secure urgent air-defense commitments. The summit resulted in the formation of a 10-nation coalition—including France, Germany, the UK, Italy, and Spain—to develop a shared ballistic missile defense architecture. A central component of this effort is the "Freyja" project, a lower-cost, mass-produced European alternative to the U.S. Patriot system intended to protect Ukraine's electricity grid before winter.

Concurrent with the Paris summit, U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to grant Ukraine a license to produce Patriot systems domestically. In Ankara, NATO leaders pledged 70 billion euros in equipment and assistance for 2026 and at least the same amount for 2027, although the United States will not contribute to those specific funds. Germany also announced a 90 million euro deal to purchase 50,000 Ukrainian-made Shrike attack drones.

These diplomatic efforts occurred amid escalating violence. Ukraine launched over 300 drones toward Moscow, causing three deaths, while Russia targeted civilian zones in Zaporizhzhia and port infrastructure in Odesa. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced sanctions against Russian hackers following a cyber campaign across 10 European countries. The Kremlin dismissed the Paris coalition as a "coalition of warmongers," and President Vladimir Putin vowed that Russian responses to strikes on its territory would be several times more powerful.