Ukraine backers gather as war escalates

Ukraine will host a meeting of its key European backers today to press for critical air-defence supplies and more pressure on Moscow, with Russian attacks killing more civilians than at any time since the first months of the invasion. The meeting of the Coalition of the Willing will be jointly chaired by the leaders of Britain, France and Germany. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham is in Kyiv for his first international trip since taking office, and several other leaders are expected to join remotely. Taoiseach Micheál Martin will attend the meeting remotely. He said that he is "pleased to join fellow leaders for a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing". "Throughout our Presidency of the EU we will continue to advance Ukraine's path to EU accession, increase pressure on Russia through robust sanctions, build consensus to ensure that Ukraine has the support it needs and work towards achieving a just and lasting peace for the people of Ukraine." EU Council President Antonio Costa is also due in Kyiv for the talks, which come amid the latest, deadly escalation of the war. Russia has been pounding Kyiv with ballistic missiles in recent weeks, destroying apartment blocks and killing dozens of citizens in the capital. The escalating Russian strikes have pushed civilian deaths to their highest levels since the first months of Russia's 2022 invasion. After almost every attack - which sees tens of thousands hunker in the Kyiv metro system and many more in basements and other shelters across the city - Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued public pleas for more air-defence support. Ahead of the talks, the EU said today that it had released another €6.1 billion in military aid for Ukraine to boost its air defences. "On Ukraine's Independence Day, we show our unfaltering support. Today, we approved EUR6.1 billion for the air and missile defence systems, missiles, ammunition and radars that Ukraine urgently needs," European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said on X. "With 376 missile strikes recorded in July alone, reinforcing Ukraine's defences has become increasingly urgent," the EU commission said in a separate statement. The finance is part of a €90bn loan, including €60bn in military aid, that the EU has said will go to Ukraine. Some €16bn has already been allocated and €8.5bn sent to Kyiv. Ukraine is desperate to secure more missile interceptors, particularly Patriot air defence systems, to fight off Russian attacks on its cities. Ahead of the meeting, Ukraine has forged ahead with its campaign against Russia's logistics sites, hitting multiple warehouses belonging to e-commerce giant Ozon. Ozon reported fires early this morning at its warehouses in Krasnodar and Makhachkala, both in southern Russia, adding that sites in Adygeysk and Nevinnomyssk were evacuated due to threats of drone attack. Russian authorities also said debris from a Ukrainian drone attack killed two children and wounded nine others. UK, French support Ukraine today celebrates independence day, which also marks exactly four-and-a-half years since Russia invaded on 24 February, 2022. "Russia should be in no doubt of our resolve," Mr Burnham said in a statement before his arrival in Kyiv. "We will not back down until there is a just and lasting peace." Diplomacy on ending the conflict - Europe's largest since World War II - is effectively frozen. Russia is demanding hardline territorial and political concessions that Kyiv has rejected as a capitulation that would only enable another Russian attack. Mr Burnham is set to announce that the British government is authorising defence firm MBDA to release classified information needed to help Ukraine and France set up local production of the long-range SCALP missile. On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged Paris would deliver new interceptor missiles. "It is crucial to provide Ukraine with all the necessary means to defend its skies and thwart this aggression," Mr Macron wrote on X. The ballistic missiles Russia has been firing in their dozens are incredibly fast and travel with a high-arching trajectory, making them difficult to stop. Kyiv's homegrown weapons cannot shoot them down, meaning Ukraine is reliant on advanced systems - chiefly, US Patriot interceptors - to protect its skies. But due to shortfalls globally since the US launched its war on Iran, Ukraine has been left exposed. Ukraine's missile shortfall Ahead of the meeting, Mr Zelensky revealed the extent of the deficit, releasing usually closely guarded numbers. He said deliveries of crucial Patriot interceptors had halved since 2023. "Over the entire of 2023, Ukraine received 675 missiles, and over all of 2025 - 364, even though Russian missile strikes have increased," Mr Zelensky said. "For 2026, as currently projected, it is 264," he added, saying Ukraine was seeking a package of at least 300 for the upcoming winter. The United States faces its own shortfall of the missiles during its war on Iran and has resisted releasing large numbers to Ukraine. Mr Zelensky said Russia could produce around 100 ballistic missiles a month. Ukraine, meanwhile, has accelerated its own campaign of long-range strikes on Russian energy and logistics sites - including oil refineries and retail warehouses. The Coalition of the Willing is a Franco-British initiative to deliver support to Ukraine and ramp up pressure on Russia. Originally designed as a group of countries that would be willing to deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event a ceasefire was reached, it has become a parallel forum for marshalling support to Ukraine as uncertainty persists over US commitments under Donald Trump.