Zelenskyy Seeks More Patriot Missiles

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on the United States and European countries to provide additional Patriot air-defense missile packages after a major Russian missile and drone attack killed nine people and injured about 40 others on Aug. 1, according to an address published on the Ukrainian presidency’s official website.

Zelenskyy said Russia launched 35 missiles, most of them ballistic, along with nearly 190 drones. He reported strikes on Kyiv, the Kyiv region, Kherson, Odesa, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and areas in the Dnipro, Donetsk and Sumy regions. Residential buildings and infrastructure were among the sites damaged, he said.

“The world has Patriot missiles,” Zelenskyy said, urging partner countries to make the political decision to transfer systems and interceptor missiles to Ukraine. He argued that anti-ballistic defenses should be used to protect civilians rather than remain in storage.

The president also called for expanded sanctions against companies and individuals supporting Russia’s ballistic-weapons production and against entities helping restore Russia’s oil-refining capacity. He said Ukraine would coordinate with G7 partners, U.S. officials and other international counterparts on sanctions, military assistance and security in the Black Sea region.