Afrasianet - As the so-called Alliance of the Willing is meeting to consider further support for Ukraine, including the establishment of missile and drone industries in Ukraine, Russia announces that subversive groups including elements backed by the United States, Britain and Canada that would have used drones found in its possession to strike targets inside Russia have been dismantled.
Russia launched a ballistic missile attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Tuesday morning, shortly after 9 European countries announced support for Ukraine from Paris and the creation of an alliance to develop ballistic missile counter-missile capabilities on the continent.
Ukrainian authorities said the Russian military launched a ballistic missile attack on the capital Kyiv early Tuesday morning, noting that several explosions were heard around the city center.
The attack came shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on Monday that Moscow would respond to Ukrainian attacks on its territory with strikes "many times stronger," adding that the scope of these responses would be expanded.
On Monday evening, Russian authorities announced that at least 13 civilians had been killed in Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Russian-controlled areas in eastern and southern Ukraine.
Sources close to the Kremlin told Reuters that Putin refuses to negotiate to stop the war with Kyiv, stressing his intention to continue fighting for now, in response to Ukraine's drone attacks on Russian oil refineries.
European Alliance
Russia's new attack on Kyiv comes shortly after nine European countries and Ukraine announced on Monday from Paris the creation of a "defensive" alliance to develop ballistic missile counter capabilities on the continent.
A joint declaration issued by France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine said: "We are not doing this against any people, but in defense of our people."
France, Britain and Spain have all announced their readiness to send troops to Ukraine, despite Moscow's warnings that any foreign troops would be "legitimate targets" for it.
The coalition does not include the United States, which has ruled out sending U.S. ground troops to Ukraine, but will be involved in monitoring any future truce if a ceasefire is reached.
However, this month Washington gave Kyiv the green light to produce Patriot air defense systems on its territory, but it could take months to start production.
Support Ukraine
Ukraine's allies announced on Monday after their meeting in Paris that they would provide more support to Kyiv's air defenses and conduct exercises for the force to be deployed after the ceasefire, as part of increasing pressure on Russia to end the war, which has entered its fifth year.
Commenting on the initiative, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that "having strong and sufficient anti-ballistic missile capabilities is essential to ending Russia's war against Ukraine."
French President Emmanuel Macron said at the end of the Paris summit that his country and its allies are "determined to continue to support Ukraine faster and more forcefully."
In practice, Macron confirmed that France would allow Ukraine to produce cruise missiles , precision-guided munitions and French-made air defense interceptors.
He also noted that 16 Rafale warplanes will be delivered with the expectation of entering service in Ukraine between 2028 and 2029.
Macron's announcement marks France's first approval of a production license for Ukraine, a move that would enable Ukraine to increase its stockpile at a time when Russia is intensifying its attacks on the country.
Moscow described the European summit as a gathering of leaders "who do not want peace," and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the alliance was "an alliance of war fan-songwriters."
Source - Agencies
