[Source: Reuters]

Ukraine and key Western allies on Monday announced an air-defence coalition that would include jointly developing a new anti-ballistic missile system as an alternative ​and cheaper solution to the U.S. Patriot system.

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 defence 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 defence architecture to deter and defeat future missile threats,” the leaders of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and Britain said in a statement.

“It will complement ​existing ballistic missile defence systems, including sovereign European solutions already acquired, or to be acquired by participating countries.”

RUSSIA HAS STEPPED UP STRIKES ON KYIV
Ukraine is critically ​low on munitions for its systems and has been largely unable to down ballistic missiles, which travel at several times the ⁠speed of sound, over the past month.

It has pleaded with allies for more supplies and has also pushed Europe to work with it on its own anti-ballistic air ​defence system.

As Russia’s strikes have increased, Kyiv has intensified drone attacks inside Russia, targeting oil facilities and weapons production as it has shifted the battlefield momentum in the war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr ​Zelenskiy joined some 25 leaders for a broader summit of the Coalition of the Willing, part of efforts that include putting together a common position that could be taken to Russia, and security guarantees to support any eventual peace deal.

Monday’s meetings come days after a NATO summit that aimed to show transatlantic unity and long-term support for Ukraine.

Russia has stepped up strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding ​region in recent weeks, killing dozens. Officials said Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine on Saturday left eight dead and many more wounded.