Ukraine's president says US air defence 'absolutely necessary' after Russian strikes

Published on 02/06/2026 - 12:30 GMT+2

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Europe on Tuesday to develop its own air defence systems and urged more support from Washington after Russia's latest deadly drone and missile barrage.

"Europe needs its own anti-ballistic defence so that this war can finally be brought to an end. And assistance from the United States in supplying missiles for Patriot systems is absolutely necessary," Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X.

"A large-scale attack and an absolutely clear statement from Russia: if Ukraine is not protected from ballistic and other missile strikes, these attacks will continue."

Zelenskyy’s remarks were echoed by his Foreign Minister Andrii Shyiiba who said that the wave of strikes showed that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin was running out of military options in his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

"Putin is a war criminal and loser who has no cards except terror. Moscow is losing on the battlefield. No number of missiles can change this," Shyiiba said in a statement on social media.

"Terrorists in Moscow must realise that their brutal attacks won’t bring them anywhere. That the price for their regime will only increase. That the only way out for Putin is to immediately end this war."

Strikes on Ukraine

The remarks from the senior leadership came after a Russian barrage of Ukraine early on Tuesday which killed at least 13 people and injured 100 others.

Authorities in the Ukrainian capital had been sounding the alarm that Russia was preparing another massive barrage, the latest in a string of deadly strikes that have escalated the four-year war and dented already slim hopes for peace.

The Ukrainian air force said Russia had launched 73 missiles and 656 drones, adding it had downed 602 of the drones and 40 of the missiles.

Moscow has bombarded Ukraine almost daily since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022, a war that is now the bloodiest on European soil since World War II, with hundreds of thousands killed and millions displaced.

Russia said on Tuesday that it had carried out a huge strike, including with hypersonic missiles, targeting Ukraine's military-industrial complex.

It denies that its forces target civilians.

'Protect your lives'

Last month, Kyiv and Moscow agreed a three-day ceasefire mediated by the United States. The truce was marred by allegations of violations on both sides but had raised the prospect of a longer halt in fighting.

An uptick in strikes since has dulled peace prospects, particularly with the White House distracted by the Iran war.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person in Russia's Kursk region, near the Ukrainian border, regional governor Alexander Khinshtein said.

Another drone sparked a fire at an oil refinery in the southwestern city of Krasnodar, its operational headquarters said on Telegram.

Zelenskyy had said last week that Ukraine had learnt that Russia was preparing a new massive strike and urged people to heed the sirens, go to shelters and "protect your lives."

Russia launched a record 8,150 long-range drones at Ukraine in May, an AFP analysis of Ukrainian air force data showed, up 24% from April.

Kyiv intercepted about 90% of all incoming drones and missiles in May, according to air force data, but struggles to down ballistic missiles.