France ready to help Ukraine with anti-ballistic defense, Zelenskyy says

Zelenskyy said he thanked Macron for his principled condemnation of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. According to him, the Russian strikes clearly demonstrate what Russia is and “why we all need to strengthen our collective defense against all threats.”

“France is ready to work on anti-ballistic capabilities. This is a strong decision and an important step. We also discussed boosting our ability to repel Russian attacks right now. Thank you for the readiness to reinforce our air defense,” the president said.

He noted that he and the French president managed to discuss many issues. The sides talked about the European track and opening all negotiation clusters in the near future. The French side, in turn, supports Ukraine and understands how important this step is for all Ukrainians.

“Emmanuel informed me about his visit to countries in Africa. We addressed the importance of joint coordination in this area, as it is equally important for Ukraine. We agreed on our contacts in the near future,” Zelenskyy concluded.

Massive attack on Ukraine

During the night of May 14 and into the morning, the Russians launched a combined strike on Ukraine. The enemy fired 675 drones, 35 cruise missiles, 18 ballistic missiles, and 3 aeroballistic missiles at the country.

That night, Russian troops targeted several cities, but Kyiv was the enemy’s main target. Most of the hostile aerial targets were heading toward the capital.

The attack caused damage in many districts of Kyiv. Residential buildings, a business center, a parking lot, and cars were damaged. Some of the worst consequences were recorded in the Darnytskyi district, where an enemy missile destroyed part of a residential high-rise building.

Following the attack, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that air defense forces managed to destroy more than 93% of the missiles and drones, but noted that there were also impacts. He announced that there would be a fair response to all of these strikes.