Europe is building a shield against ballistic missiles with Kyiv

Paris – 14 July 2026: Ukraine and nine European states want to establish a joint capability for defense against ballistic missiles. The agreement was concluded on Monday in Paris after a meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky, Emmanuel Macron, and the heads of government and representatives of other partners. In addition to Ukraine, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom are participating. It is a response to the experience of a war in which the range and speed of Russian missiles have transformed not only Ukrainian infrastructure but also the entire European security order. The new coalition is not intended to remain limited to political declarations. It envisages the development of an integrated program which, according to the Europeans, is intended to offer a supplement or a less costly alternative to the American Patriot systems. For Kyiv, the stakes are immediate: the more effectively ballistic missiles can be intercepted, the less effective Russia’s strategy of exerting pressure from a distance on cities, energy supplies and military logistics will be. Zelensky explicitly linked military-technological progress to a political calculation. If Russia lost this means, the Kremlin’s willingness to conduct serious negotiations would increase, he said. Macron went beyond announcing the coalition. France will allow Ukraine to produce French cruise missiles, precision-guided bombs and interceptor missiles for air defense itself. Kyiv has also ordered next-generation Franco-Italian SAMP/T systems, regarded as a European capability for defense against ballistic missiles, as well as Rafale fighter aircraft. Practical implementation will, however, require years, reliable funding and close coordination among the participating arms industries. This is precisely where the strategic significance of the decision made in Paris lies. Europe is trying to bring together its often fragmented national capabilities in a field where American technology and the political guarantees of the United States have until now set the benchmark. The meeting of the so-called coalition of the willing, which brings together more than 30 states and saw the participation of around 25 heads of state and government, therefore carried a second message. European support for Ukraine must not depend on the pace of possible negotiations. Macron announced that a multinational force for Ukraine would conduct exercises in neighboring countries over the coming months. It must be ready to intervene in the event of a ceasefire. The new missile defense arrangement is thus both a protection project for the present and a precaution for a still uncertain post-war order.