Zelenskky asks Western allies to boost air defense deliveries as Hegseth skips Ukraine meeting

Zelenskky asks Western allies to boost air defense deliveries as Hegseth skips Ukraine meeting World Jun 4, 2025 1:58 PM EDT

BRUSSELS (AP) — Ukraine’s president on Wednesday urged Western backers to speed up deliveries of air defense systems to counter Russian missile strikes and to help boost weapons production.

The emphasis should be on U.S.-made Patriot systems, President Volodymyr Zelenskky told a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

“These are the most effective way to force Russia to stop its missile strikes and terror,” he said via video link, urging representatives of around 50 countries to make good on past pledges.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not attend, the first time a Pentagon chief has been absent since the forum for organi