Ukraine is contracting around 1,000 missiles for U.S.-designed Patriot air-defence systems with assistance from allies and a European Union loan, Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said. Most deliveries are expected in coming years, prompting Kyiv to seek missiles from Western partners’ existing stocks and more immediate air-defence support. Khmara also cited a $27 billion financing shortfall affecting drone supplies and said Russia had made no strategic gains along the 1,200-kilometer front line while compensating with attacks on Ukrainians. Russia resumed near-constant drone and missile strikes on Kyiv after a brief pause linked to visits by U.S. peace negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner; officials said five people were killed in the capital and others died in various regions. Russian newswires, citing Russia’s Defence Ministry, also reported strikes on Kyiv, its surrounding region and the Chornomorsk port. Amid the renewed attacks, prediction-market YES odds for Ukraine recapturing Crimean territory by Dec. 31, 2026, fell to 5.5% from 6% a day earlier, while the Institute for the Study of War map showed no blue-shaded areas in Crimea.