‘Coalition of the Keen’ leaders collect on Independence Day as Kyiv presses for air defence provides.
Revealed On 24 Aug 2026
Ukraine will host a gathering with its key European allies to debate air defence and press for better strain on Moscow as Russia continues to escalate missile assaults.
The “Coalition of the Willing” assembly in Kyiv on Monday can be collectively chaired by the leaders of the UK, France and Germany, with most leaders anticipated to hitch by video name and a small variety of overseas dignitaries attending in particular person.
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UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham can be in Kyiv for his first overseas journey since assuming workplace final month. European Council President Antonio Costa can also be set to attend in particular person.
Kyiv is predicted to hunt extra interceptor missiles from allies after weeks of Russian missile and drone assaults which have driven record numbers of the capital city’s residents to metro stations and basements to hunt shelter.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made frequent public appeals for extra air defence provides from allies.
The assembly takes place on Ukraine’s Independence Day and comes a day after the nation marked National Flag Day, when a gaggle of leaders from Nordic and Baltic nations met Zelenskyy in Kyiv and pledged to spice up their assist for Ukraine.
Norway mentioned it could present one other 85 billion kroner ($9.1bn) in 2027, matching the assist it gave Ukraine this 12 months.
Escalating air assaults
Russia and Ukraine have escalated air assaults with drones and missiles in current weeks, hanging targets far past the entrance line.
Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian logistics websites, finishing up assaults on areas linked to e-commerce corporations Wildberries and Ozon.
Ozon reported fires early on Monday at its warehouses in Krasnodar and Makhachkala, each in southern Russia, including that websites in Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk have been evacuated as a consequence of threats of drone assault.
Russian authorities mentioned two youngsters have been killed and 9 different folks have been wounded, together with seven minors, when drone particles hit a personal childcare centre in Krasnodar on Monday. Particles additionally fell on condo buildings and set warehouses alight within the metropolis, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev mentioned.
Within the Stavropol area, which hosts many chemical manufacturing amenities, Governor Vladimir Vladimirov mentioned a drone assault on an industrial space had been repelled early on Monday.
In Ukraine, a minimum of two girls have been killed and 5 folks wounded when a Russian drone hit an electrical practice in Ukraine’s Kharkiv area on Sunday, regional officers mentioned. An assault on the outskirts of Kharkiv metropolis killed three folks and injured eight.
Ukraine’s allies have pledged to spice up Ukraine’s depleted air defences within the face of Russia’s rising missile assaults.
Earlier than the assembly, Zelenskyy mentioned deliveries of essential Patriot interceptors had halved since 2023.
“Over your entire of 2023, Ukraine acquired 675 missiles, and over all of 2025 – 364, despite the fact that Russian missile strikes have elevated,” he mentioned.
“For 2026, as at the moment projected, it’s 264,” he added, saying Ukraine was in search of a bundle of a minimum of 300 for the upcoming winter.
