President Volodymyr Zelensky held a working meeting with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, during which the issue of strengthening Ukraine’s air defense system was discussed. Special attention was given to ensuring the country has missiles for air defense and accelerating the supply of weapons from international partners. Zelensky emphasized the need for new contributions from partners to the PURL program and the utilization of existing missile stocks in Europe.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Priority – Missiles for Ukrainian Air Defense
“First and foremost, we spoke with the Commander-in-Chief about air defense and supplies from partners: what is on the way, what is needed, and which requests have not yet been fulfilled that should be expedited. The top priority is missiles for air defense.”
Volodymyr Zelensky also announced that an important meeting will take place soon, where issues related to providing Ukraine with modern air defense systems will be discussed. According to the president, partners need to engage in the PURL program and ensure the supply of necessary missiles that are already in stock in Europe, so that Ukrainian defenders of the sky receive everything they need for effective defense.
Coordination with International Allies and the Situation on the Front
The president noted that in cooperation with allies, Ukraine is acting as constructively and promptly as possible. In particular, he heard a report from the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Rustem Umerov, regarding negotiations with the American side and outlined the upcoming schedule of meetings. Zelensky emphasized that Kyiv is not delaying the process, unlike Russia.
In his address, the president compared the duration of Russia’s war against Ukraine to World War II, noting that today marks the 1418th day of full-scale aggression. He stressed that Russia has not been able to fully capture Donbas or the city of Kupiansk, which, in his opinion, indicates failures in the management system of the aggressor country.
Zelensky also reported extremely high losses among Russian troops – according to the head of state, no less than a thousand Russian soldiers die daily since December of last year. The president is convinced that stopping Russian aggression is only possible through the joint efforts of Europe, the USA, and other partners.
According to the American Institute for the Study of War, by 2025, Russian forces were able to increase their pace of advancement due to a new operational approach; however, their main objectives remained unattainable within the set timeframe.
During the 32nd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in December 2025, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal urged international partners to allocate no less than 0.25% of GDP for military assistance to Ukraine. To receive PURL packages in 2026, Ukraine needs funding of 15 billion dollars.
In the summer of 2025, the USA and NATO signed the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) agreement, which provides for the supply of American weapons to Ukraine with financial support from European countries. NATO coordinates this process.