Following Russia’s strike on Kryvyi Rih, Macron promised to supply Ukraine with interceptor missiles to defend its airspace
In a telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences regarding the casualties caused by the Russian Federation’s attack on Kryvyi Rih. He emphasised the importance of providing Ukraine with all the necessary means to defend its airspace against Russian attacks.
Macron wrote about this on the social media platform X, according to Censor.NET.
"I spoke with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy the day after Russia’s twin strikes in broad daylight on a shopping centre in Kryvyi Rih, which resulted in a very high number of civilian casualties. I expressed our outrage and sympathy to him. With these strikes, as well as this week’s attacks on Kyiv, Russia is continuing and intensifying the crime of its aggression. By systematically targeting civilians and relying on intimidation and escalation, Russia is presumably seeking to demonstrate its strength, but above all it is demonstrating its weakness," said the French leader.
He noted that, in this context, it is of critical importance to provide Ukraine with all the necessary means to defend its airspace and repel this aggression.
"I have informed President Zelenskyy of our increased support, which includes the deployment of interceptor missiles and the continuation of our cooperation in the spirit of the inaugural meeting of the Anti-Ballistic Defence Coalition, which took place in Paris on 13 July, as well as the declaration of intent signed on 17 November 2025. It is vital that all countries with the necessary capabilities also join these efforts," Macron emphasised.
The French leader added that "we must also continue to step up the pressure on Russia until it chooses to abandon the cessation of hostilities and work towards peace".
What led up to it
It should be recalled that on Saturday, 22 August, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a conversation lasting almost two hours with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron.
