Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on Europe to urgently develop a sovereign defence system capable of intercepting ballistic missiles.
The call for a continental anti-ballistic shield underscores a key vulnerability in Ukraine’s war with Russia and highlights wider weaknesses in European air defence. Ballistic missiles, which descend at supersonic speeds from high altitude, remain one of the most difficult threats for Ukraine to counter.
Currently, only advanced interceptor missiles used by the U.S.-made Patriot system have consistently succeeded in destroying Russian ballistic weapons.
Reliance on American systems, however, is increasingly seen as a strategic risk. Russia has used ballistic missiles extensively to target Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, with repeated strikes overwhelming older Soviet-era defences. These attacks have damaged power stations and disrupted electricity transmission networks across the country.
Speaking to national broadcaster Marathon on Sunday, Zelenskyy outlined plans for a European-led system.
"I believe, and my idea is that we should have a European anti-ballistic missile defence system. We are in talks with several countries and are working in this direction," he said.
He suggested an ambitious timeline: "We need to build our own anti-ballistic missile defence system within a year."
While describing the task as "extremely difficult", Zelenskyy said Europe has the industrial and technological capacity to deliver. He confirmed discussions with several European leaders but did not name participating countries or provide technical details.
The urgency of the proposal is linked to a global shortage of interceptor missiles. Supplies of U.S. Patriot systems have tightened due to competing demands.
Washington has deployed significant resources to the Persian Gulf to defend allied interests against Iranian missile threats, stretching production capacity already under pressure from the war in Ukraine.
As a result, Ukraine has had to ration its most effective air defence systems. Europe’s own alternative, the SAMP/T (Mamba) system developed by Italy and France, remains limited in number and cannot be scaled quickly enough to meet demand.
Alongside political efforts, Ukraine’s defence industry is advancing its own solutions.
Fire Point, a Ukrainian manufacturer known for its ‘Flamingo’ cruise missile, recently told Reuters it is in discussions with major European defence firms to develop a new air defence system by next year.
The aim is to produce a lower-cost alternative to the Patriot system. By combining Ukrainian battlefield data with European manufacturing capacity, developers hope to create an interceptor capable of countering Russian Iskander and Kinzhal missiles more affordably.
If successful, the project could strengthen Ukraine’s air defences while offering European countries a scalable, homegrown solution to improve their own capabilities.
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Yemen's Houthis renewed warning to airlines, airport workers, and travellers against using Saudi airports, saying the warning should be taken seriously and that the kingdom “bore responsibility for failed interceptions”, a day after an attack on Riyadh's international airport that killed 12 people.
The Houthi movement has escalated their attacks on Saudi Arabia, targeting the airport in Riyadh and other cities, killing more than a dozen people.
The Kremlin on Monday rejected a 60-day ceasefire idea proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to allow his country to hold presidential elections, saying it wanted an overall peace deal instead.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said late Monday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has visited a newly opened defence museum displaying weapons developed under his leadership, including an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States.
Southeast Asian foreign ministers are set to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze during preparatory meetings ahead of the ASEAN summit in November, as forest and land fires in Indonesia continue to affect air quality across the region, the Philippines said on Tuesday.
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the United Kingdom believes Iran was likely behind an alleged plot connected to RAF Fairford, a military airbase in Gloucestershire in England that has played a role in U.S. operations against Iran, escalating tensions between London and Tehran.
Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement for political purposes after authorities searched her Washington-area home as part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
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