Ukraine presses NATO for air defence missiles amid supply drop and EU progress

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested additional air defence interceptors during talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, highlighting a steep decline in Western missile deliveries. Supplies have dropped to one-third of 2025 levels, leaving key urban areas and strategic ports increasingly exposed to frequent Russian drone and missile strikes.

Concurrently, Kyiv is moving forward with its European Union integration, confirming that required benchmarks have been fulfilled to unlock four additional negotiation clusters.

To reinforce Ukraine's resilience, the European Union has released a fifth financial payment of 1.4 billion euros. The funds were derived from accrued windfall interest on immobilized Russian central bank assets held under EU sanctions.

Sources: Digi24, Economedia, HotNews, Moldova1, Ziarul de Gardă.