Ukraine and key Western allies launched on Monday an air-defense coalition that would include jointly developing a new anti-ballistic missile system as an alternative and more affordable solution to the U.S. Patriot system, as Kyiv continues to fight Moscow.
With Ukraine increasingly exposed to Russian ballistic missiles, leaders gathered in Paris for a summit, where 10 countries, along with about a dozen firms from the defense sector, met to press on with what they called the Integrated Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition.
"We believe that the protection of Europe requires a global solution of integrated missile defense architecture to deter and defeat future missile threats," the leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the U.K. said in a statement.
"It will complement existing ballistic missile defense systems, including sovereign European solutions already acquired, or to be acquired by participating countries."
Russia has stepped up strikes on Kyiv
