The announcement followed a high-level telephone consultation between President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, May 16, News.Az reports, citing Kyiv Post.
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A critical shield against ballistic threats
Writing on his official Facebook page, President Zelensky explicitly framed the development as a major milestone for Ukraine’s heavily strained air defense architecture.
“I thanked Emmanuel for his principled condemnation of Russian strikes on our cities and communities. These attacks make very clear 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,” Zelensky noted.
The bilateral agreement follows alarming intelligence logs submitted to the United Nations Security Council ahead of an upcoming emergency session. Ukrainian diplomatic data revealed that in a brief span earlier this month, Russian forces launched approximately 16 advanced ballistic missiles alongside 600 attack drones into residential and industrial zones, bypassing standard short-range defense nets to kill over 40 civilians.
By committing to the “anti-ballistic” track, Paris signals its readiness to potentially supply or co-develop advanced interception platforms – such as the SAMP/T system – capable of tracking and destroying high-velocity, terminal-phase ballistic trajectories.
