Ukraine's foreign minister calls for air defenses

STORY: "I don't want to spoil the birthday party today but my main message today will be Patriots,” Kuleba said speaking alongside Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

“Saving Ukrainian lives, saving Ukrainian economy, saving Ukrainian cities depends on the availability of Patriots and other air defence systems in Ukraine and we are talking about Patriots because it's the only system that can intercept ballistic missiles.”

In an interview with Reuters on Wednesday, Kuleba said Ukraine's partners were not providing enough air defense to protect against Russian missile attacks even though they have more than 100 Patriot systems in their own arsenals.

In recent weeks, Russia has unleashed an increased barrage of attacks on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure, underscoring Kyiv’s urgent need for protection.