Ukraine is contracting around 1,000 missiles for U.S.-designed Patriot air-defence systems with help from allies and a European Union loan, Defence Minister Yevhenii Khmara said. Most of the missiles are expected to arrive in the coming years, prompting Kyiv to seek more immediate support. Ukraine is also asking Western partners to release missiles from their existing stocks in exchange for performance improvements under contracts signed with Kyiv. Khmara said a $27 billion financing shortfall was restricting drone supplies. He told the Ukraine Defense Contact Group that Russia had made no strategic gains along the 1,200-kilometer front line, while compensating for battlefield setbacks with attacks on Ukrainians. Russia resumed near-constant drone and missile strikes on Kyiv after a brief pause linked to a visit by U.S. peace negotiators, killing five people in the capital and others in various regions. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said Ukraine’s allies needed to increase support so Kyiv could exploit opportunities across all fronts and defend its airspace.