Ukraine and allies join to protect Europe from ballistic missiles

Ukraine and nine other countries will form a coalition to protect Europe from ballistic missiles, utilising Kyiv's experience in fighting Russia's full-scale invasion for over four years.

"Our goal is to build a shared ballistic missile defence capability for Europe," the 10 nations said in a statement in Paris at talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He was asking two dozen leaders for help in developing measures against Russia's missile attacks that have pummelled his country and made the rest of Europe wary of Moscow's wider ambitions on the continent.

Mr Zelenskyy and the leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom said they recognised "the growing threat posed by ballistic missiles," which were harder to stop than cruise missiles or drones.

"We believe that protecting Europe requires a comprehensive solution, in the form of an integrated missile defence architecture, to deter and neutralise future missile threats," the statement said.

"We recognise Ukraine's unique experience, gained through its defence against the war of aggression waged by Russia."

The statement gave no time frame for setting up the defence system and said the plan remained open to other countries.

Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and its partners could, within the next 12 months, jointly develop a mass-produced, low-cost system with missiles that would let Europe supply itself with new anti-ballistic capability and provide it to others around the world who need protection.

Putin shows no sign of backing down

Russian President Vladimir Putin was unyielding, vowing emphatic retaliation to Kyiv's recent long-range attacks on refineries, tankers and terminals that have caused widespread fuel shortages.

"Wherever they attempt to strike Russian territory, we will respond in kind, but our strikes will be several times more powerful," Mr Putin told a meeting with pro-Kremlin activists.

European foreign ministers were meeting separately in Brussels, where they discussed Ukraine's needs and Russia's threats to the continent.

Mr Zelenskyy is keen to accelerate efforts with European countries to develop Ukraine's air defences ahead of winter, when Russia usually intensifies its attacks to deny Ukrainians electricity, heat and water.

Ukrainian officials were in Paris to present a proposed Anti-Ballistic Program and meet with government leaders, national security advisers and defence companies who might take part, Mr Zelenskyy said.

US President Donald Trump's pledge last week to give Ukraine a license to produce Patriot air defence systems to counter the ballistic missiles could mark a breakthrough for Kyiv.

However, experts and Ukrainian officials warn that turning the idea into reality would probably take years.

It was unclear how quickly a European system could be built.

Ukraine wants to push Putin into negotiations

Kyiv and its European backers want to press home Ukraine's recent successes and compel Putin to negotiate an end to the fighting. However, Moscow has shown no willingness to compromise despite peace efforts by the Trump administration.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow would closely follow the Paris meeting but dismissed its aspirations.

"This is a coalition of warmongers," Mr Peskov said.

"They are driven by the profound delusion that it's possible to inflict a strategic defeat on our country, so this is a coalition of the deluded, a coalition of those who incite the war."

Ukraine's advances in drone technology have given it an edge recently, analysts and Western officials said.

Its strikes on supply routes behind the front have robbed the Russian army of momentum and made its progress slow and costly, they said.

Ukraine says it hit 105 Russian vessels in eight days

Ukrainian forces struck 105 Russian vessels in the Sea of Azov next to the Crimea Peninsula between July 6 and 13, said Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces.

The vessels included tankers, dry cargo ships, a ferry and tugboats, Brovdi said on the Telegram messaging app.

The campaign is part of a broader Ukrainian effort to isolate the Crimea Peninsula, which is enduring its worst fuel crisis since it was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014, and disrupt Russian logistics.

Crimea is a key rear base for Russian forces occupying parts of southern Ukraine.

It was not possible to independently verify the claims, and Russian officials made no immediate comment.

European leaders demonstrate commitment to Kyiv

The Paris meeting of the so-called Coalition of the Willing, which brings together more than 30 countries and about 25 heads of state and government, appeared to be a demonstration of a long-term commitment to Ukraine and a warning to Russia, as Moscow tests Europe's resilience.

Mr Zelenskyy's trip to the French capital followed the death of US Senator Lindsey Graham, one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters in Washington.

Lawmaker Oleksandr Merezhko called Graham "the closest link between Ukraine, our president and Trump".

The trip also comes amid a major reshuffle of Mr Zelenskyy's government that saw Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko step down.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said he would summon the Russian ambassador to France and impose sanctions against Russian hackers.

He told reporters the issue is about "a vast cyber campaign aimed at sabotage and espionage, carried out by Russia in about 10 European countries".

Ukraine's neighbours feel war's impact

In the latest incident, a drone launched during Russian overnight attacks on Ukraine's Odesa region crashed and exploded on Moldova's territory, Moldova's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. It said the incident was "serious and unacceptable".

Ukraine fires over 300 drones toward Moscow

Ukraine has aimed at targets deep inside Russia with its domestically developed long-range drones and missiles.

Russian air defences have downed 350 Ukrainian drones heading toward Moscow since late Sunday, including 50 near the capital, the capital's Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Moscow regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov said 81 Ukrainian drones were downed overnight, adding that three people were killed and that the attack in the Pionersky settlement in the western part of the Moscow region injured three.

The Ukrainian air force, meanwhile, said Russia launched 134 long-range strike drones and three guided aviation missiles at Ukraine.

A strike on port infrastructure in Ukraine's Odesa region set fire to a docked merchant vessel carrying fertiliser under the flag of Togo, killing five crew members and wounding 10, said regional military administration head Oleh Kiper.

Russia says it thwarted drone operation

Russia's Federal Security Service said it had thwarted a Ukrainian plan for a drone attack on the Ukrainka air base in the far eastern Amur region and the Shagol air base in the Chelyabinsk region in the southern Urals.

Small drones were smuggled into Russia's Bryansk region using air balloons and bigger transport drones, then taken by car near the air bases by Ukrainian agents, who were arrested, the security service said.

A covert Ukrainian operation a year ago, dubbed Operation Spiderweb, destroyed or damaged nearly a third of Moscow's strategic bomber fleet with drones carried secretly into Russia, according to Ukrainian officials.

AP