NATO summit in Ankara puts Ukraine air defense on agenda
Russia’s overnight assault on Kyiv struck residential buildings in at least four districts — Obolonskyi, Holosiivskyi, Darnytskyi and Podilskyi — including a partially destroyed apartment block in Podilskyi, Tkachenko said. Search and rescue operations were underway at more than 20 locations across the capital.
The attack came just hours before leaders of the 32-country NATO alliance gather in Ankara for their annual summit, with continued support for Ukraine as a top agenda item. Zelensky is expected to meet Trump on the sidelines of the summit Wednesday.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko declared Tuesday a day of mourning, ordering flags on municipal buildings lowered and entertainment events canceled across the city.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Colonel Yurii Ihnat said the success rate for intercepting ballistic missiles was “low, to put it mildly.” He attributed the failure to a severe shortage of interceptor missiles for the Patriot systems, which the United States has supplied to Ukraine.
“Russia is exploiting the fact that Ukraine — and indeed the world — is facing a serious shortage of PAC-2 and PAC-3 interceptor missiles,” Ihnat said. “That is why it is increasingly focusing on ballistic missile strikes.”
The shortage has been compounded by this year’s U.S.-led conflict with Iran, which drew heavily on global stockpiles of Patriot interceptors, according to The Wall Street Journal. Ukraine is one of roughly 20 countries waiting for new interceptors, which can take more than two years to manufacture.
In a post on X on Monday, Zelensky called for “strong decisions to support our air defense,” saying that Patriot missiles sitting in “the warehouses of allies” gave a green light for Russia to attack apartment buildings housing ordinary people. He said the world has the necessary quantity and quality of air defense, but the missiles are needed in Ukraine, not in storage.
A senior U.S. official said Trump, who spoke separately with Zelensky and Putin on Saturday, was renewing efforts to resolve the conflict as “a pressing priority.” The official told The Hill that “the president feels a real sense of urgency to try to bring this to a stop.”
Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted on Telegram that Trump once again confirmed his readiness to facilitate the earliest possible cessation of hostilities. The ministry said special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will continue mediation efforts and are prepared to visit Moscow.
The day of mourning in Kyiv was set to begin Tuesday, as residents sifted through the rubble of the residential building in the Podilskyi district where five people were killed, the State Emergency Service said.