UK Defense Chief Streeting Visits Kyiv for First Time Following a Deadly Russian Strike

President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed UK Defence Secretary Wes Streeting to Kyiv on Wednesday, Aug. 5, marking his first visit to the capital. Zelensky said in a statement that the two leaders discussed imposing additional sanctions on Russian companies tied to missile production, as well as ways Britain could help Ukraine in shielding its cities from repeated ballistic missile attacks – including through joint weapons production.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Their meeting came a matter of hours after a Russian missile and drone barrage killed at least 17 people and wounded 51 in the Kyiv region. “In particular, we discussed opportunities for co-producing certain types of weapons – both Britain and Ukraine have strong, war-tested capabilities,” Zelensky said, adding that “everything that weakens Russia’s war machine and its reliance on ballistic terror matters.” Missile defense and joint production ahead of winter Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the UK has remained one of Ukraine’s most important allies, both in military and financial support. It is also the founding member of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Coalition, a 10-nation group launched in Paris this July that backs FREYJA, Ukraine’s domestic interceptor project intended to supplement existing air defense systems. The UK pledged to allocate £300 million (roughly $403 million) to support a joint initiative with Sweden aimed at delivering 15 modern aircraft to Ukraine on July 16. Other Topics of Interest Russia Strikes Epicentr, Nova Poshta, Silpo, Novus Warehouses, Killing at Least 10 A coordinated Russian barrage destroyed warehouses and sorting centers run by Epicentr, Nova Poshta, Silpo, and Novus overnight, killing at least 10 people and tearing into the backbone of Ukraine's retail and industrial supply chains. In June, the UK announced a £752 million (about $996 million) military aid package for Ukraine, including 150,000 drones, more than 350 air-defense missiles, and radar systems. However, despite the UK having assisted Ukraine by supplying much needed equipment, the Patriot interceptors Ukraine relies on to deter Russian ballistic missile attacks remain scarce. Zelensky has repeatedly urged international partners to speed up air defense deliveries, warning that the upcoming winter is especially important. According to the president, Russia is expected to continue targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, risking heating and electricity shortages for millions of Ukrainian residents. On Tuesday, Aug. 4, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said Russia’s next winter campaign may focus on Ukraine’s water infrastructure instead, amid fears that civilians could struggle to survive prolonged disruptions to water and sewage services. “Last winter they targeted electricity and heating, but you could still survive if you had gas and water during electricity shutdowns,” Shmyhal said, adding that “it is difficult to survive for more than three days without water and sewage.” Russia continues its drone and missile barrage on Ukraine Russia attacked Kyiv and the surrounding region during an overnight barrage on Wednesday, Aug. 5, marking its third attack within a week. According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia fired 28 missiles and 115 attack drones at Ukraine overnight, concentrating its assault on the Kyiv region, while targeting mostly civilian and energy infrastructure. Ukraine shot down 98 drones. However, it failed to intercept a single missile. On Saturday, Aug. 1, during a separate Russian attack, Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept just one of 27 ballistic missiles launched at Kyiv. The strike also included eight cruise missiles and 185 attack drones. The latest attack comes as Ukraine’s Patriot interceptors remain critically scarce. The PAC-3 is currently the only weapon capable of intercepting Russia’s Iskander-M, a ballistic missile carrying a half-ton warhead strong enough to tear down a quarter to half of a typical apartment block. Meanwhile, Russia has already exceeded its estimated monthly ballistic missile production within the first 19 days of July, simultaneously expending at least two-thirds of its planned annual output of 3M22 Zircon missiles. Trump has wavered on recent Patriot production pledge US President Donald Trump first floated granting Ukraine a license to produce Patriot interceptors during a meeting with Zelensky on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara on July 7-8. “We’ll give them the right to make Patriots,” Trump said. “We’ll show them how to do it.” The two leaders met again on Tuesday, July 28 in the Oval Office at the White House, a meeting Zelensky described as productive, fueling expectations that Washington would follow through on the licensing commitment. However, speaking at a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, July 31, Trump softened his earlier commitment. “We have not agreed to that. We’re talking about it, but it’s a hard thing to give away that kind of technology,” Trump said, adding that countries receiving the technology “can someday turn on you.” On Monday, Aug. 3, US Envoy Whitaker confirmed no agreement has been reached on allowing Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptor missiles domestically, even as Washington continues discussing co-production options with Ukrainian and European partners. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.