President Volodymyr Zelensky has appealed directly to US President Donald Trump and Congress for expanded air defense support, warning that Russia is intensifying its missile campaign and that Ukraine’s current air defense capacity is under growing strain. In a letter sent on Memorial Day, May 25, Zelensky said he chose the date deliberately, noting it has become a tradition for Ukrainian presidents to use the occasion to thank the US for its continued support during the war.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. His appeal followed what he described as a “particularly cruel” Russian attack overnight on May 23, when Russia launched dozens of cruise and ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons, and around 600 drones against Ukraine, including strikes on Kyiv and other regions. Zelensky said Russia used 54 cruise missiles, 30 ballistic missiles, three Tsirkon hypersonic missiles, and two Kinzhal ballistic missiles. Russia also launched an intermediate-range “Oreshnik” ballistic missile – one struck the Kyiv region, while another reportedly fell in temporarily occupied territory in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. He added that Ukraine continues to face mass drone attacks, many of them Shahed-type systems. He highlighted Ukraine’s success in downing more than 90% of Russian attack drones and said this experience has already been shared with partners in the Middle East and Gulf region, where similar Iranian-designed systems have been used.