Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is travelling to Évian-les-Bains, France to join G7 leaders at the summit on Tuesday, where he will press the United States and European allies for more Patriot PAC-3 missiles and long-range air defence systems. The visit comes after a series of Russian strikes over the weekend that set fire to cultural landmarks in Kyiv and Kharkiv.

Zelensky’s agenda at the summit is focused primarily on military supply. Ukrainian officials have identified air defence as the single most critical gap in the country’s ability to hold the front line and protect its major cities. Russia has shifted its strike pattern in recent months toward ballistic missiles, which are harder to intercept than the Shahed drones that dominated earlier attacks.

European governments are expected to announce additional military pledges during Tuesday’s session. The United Kingdom, Germany, France and several Nordic countries have been expanding their support to Ukraine since US bilateral military aid was suspended earlier this year. Their contributions have kept Ukrainian forces supplied, but Zelensky has said repeatedly that the volume and pace of deliveries remain insufficient.

On Saturday night, Russian forces launched 611 long-range drones and 70 missiles in a large-scale overnight attack. In Kyiv, one strike hit the centuries-old Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastic complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site, setting the roof of its Dormition Cathedral on fire. Five emergency workers were killed in a separate strike on Kharkiv, and a drone also destroyed significant portions of the Kharkiv Art Museum.

Zelensky has repeatedly used the targeting of cultural sites as a diplomatic argument for more support. He described Saturday’s strikes as a deliberate attempt to erase Ukrainian identity, and said the attacks underscored why the war could not be resolved through negotiated concessions that left Russian forces in place.

Trump and Zelensky spoke by phone before the summit opened, according to reports from both the Ukrainian and American sides. The call covered ceasefire parameters and the terms under which Ukraine might eventually enter peace negotiations with Russia. No bilateral meeting between the two leaders has been formally scheduled during the summit, though aides said a sideline conversation was possible.

The G7 session on Ukraine is expected to produce a joint statement calling on Russia to cease hostilities and reaffirming the bloc’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Whether that statement includes specific new weapons commitments or funding pledges will depend on the discussions during Tuesday’s closed-door session.

Kyiv Post reported that Ukrainian officials are hoping for a concrete pledge covering at least four additional Patriot batteries before July. European governments have said they are working to accelerate delivery timelines, but sourcing the necessary components remains a challenge given the pace of production in the United States and Germany.