Russia strikes Kiev region, ports; Zelensky says France to accelerate air defense deliveries to Ukraine

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Russia strikes Kiev region, ports; Zelensky says France to accelerate air defense deliveries to Ukraine

2026-08-23 10:07 Last Updated At：23:11

Russia said on Saturday it struck the Kiev region and ports over the past 24 hours, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the same day that France will accelerate air defense deliveries to Ukraine, according to their latest updates on the conflict.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Saturday that in the past day, Russian forces carried out a concentrated strike on the Kiev region of Ukraine using long-range high precision weapons and drones, destroying more than 40 trucks equipped with launchers for long-range drones. In addition, Russian strikes targeted the ports of Chornomorsk and Pivdennyi, hitting military supply warehouses, fuel storage tanks, cargo vessels, and port infrastructure used by Ukrainian forces.

The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported on the same day that Ukrainian forces struck fuel and lubricant storage tanks at the port of Yeysk in Russia's Krasnodar Krai. Zelensky said in his battlefield update that over the past day, Ukrainian forces carried out long-range strikes on multiple targets inside Russia, including the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery located about 1,000 kilometers from the front line, and a logistics hub in the Samara region.

Zelensky said Saturday that France has agreed to accelerate the delivery of equipment and missiles to Ukraine, and will provide licenses for the production of relevant missiles, following a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Zelensky said in a social media post that he stressed that air defense systems remain Ukraine's most pressing need. He said Macron expressed readiness to help facilitate communication between Ukraine and other partner countries that have the necessary missiles for the Patriot air defense system.

Macron said he had confirmed with Zelensky that France would step up support for Ukraine's air defense capabilities, in particular by providing interceptor missiles.

Eurozone, EU government debt ratios rise in Q2: Eurostat

The government debt-to-GDP ratio across the eurozone and the broader European Union increased at the end of the second quarter of 2026, indicating a continued rise in public debt burdens, according to data from the EU's statistical office Eurostat on Wednesday.

In the euro area, the government debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 88.8 percent, an increase of 0.4 compared with the figure at the end of the first quarter of 2026. In the EU, the ratio also climbed from 82.5 percent to 82.9 percent.

Among EU member states, Greece recorded the highest debt ratio at 140.8 percent, followed by Italy at 139.9 percent and France at 119.1 percent. Belgium and Spain also saw their debt ratios exceed 110 percent and 100 percent, respectively.

In the second quarter of 2026, the government deficit as a percentage of GDP in the eurozone rose from 3.2 percent in the first quarter to 3.3 percent, while the deficit ratio for EU member states went up from 3.1 percent to 3.5 percent.

The Euro area (EA21) is composed of Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia and Finland.

The European Union (EU 27) consists of Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.