Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned that Russia is preparing a fresh large-scale assault using drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles, and has urged Washington to urgently accelerate the supply and domestic production of air defence interceptors that Kyiv says are critical to protecting civilian lives. The warning came in an interview with CBS News' Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on 31 May.

Imminent Attack Warning

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence, corroborated by information from Western partners, pointed to a high probability of a major Russian strike within days. 'Today at night or tomorrow at night, high percent, of course, nobody knows 100 per cent but there is a high percent,' he said, adding that Ukrainians would be urged to use bomb shelters and take extra precautions.

He noted that Russia had been carrying out daily attacks and had recently launched one of the largest barrages of the war — reportedly 600 drones and more than 30 ballistic missiles in a single salvo. Zelenskyy described ballistic missile defence as Ukraine's 'biggest deficit.'

Ukraine's Air Defence Shortfall

Zelenskyy disclosed that he had written to both the White House and the US Congress requesting additional anti-ballistic missile systems and interceptors. He framed the problem not as one of funding but of manufacturing capacity, arguing that current global production levels — which he put at roughly 60 to 65 missiles per month — were wholly inadequate for the scale of the threat.

He renewed his call for Washington to allow Ukraine to produce Patriot missile components under licence. 'I asked previous administration, I am asking today's administration, give Ukraine licenses. We will increase the production of Patriot missiles,' he said. He also indicated that a major drone technology partnership with the United States was under discussion, and that finalising it required President Donald Trump to give his approval.

Russia Testing NATO, Sanctions Debate

Zelenskyy argued that drone incidents involving Romania and other countries bordering Ukraine reflected a deliberate Russian strategy to probe NATO reactions. 'Russia uses this just to attack politically and by weapon pressure on NATO countries to look at the reaction,' he said.

He also criticised recent moves to ease certain sanctions on Russian oil exports, contending that such steps directly benefit Russia's defence industry. 'Lifting sanctions is a help for the soldiers of Russia. It's very helpful for their defence industry,' he said. He called for stronger sanctions and greater economic pressure, arguing these were prerequisites for bringing Moscow to serious negotiations.

Diplomacy and the Children Crisis

On the diplomatic front, Zelenskyy said he remained open to meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin but insisted that meaningful dialogue required sustained pressure first. He suggested that Britain, France, and Germany could play leading roles in future European mediation, and acknowledged Turkiye's prior involvement in prisoner exchanges.

Zelenskyy also renewed allegations that Russia had forcibly removed thousands of Ukrainian children during the conflict. He said Kyiv had identified approximately 20,000 children and had so far managed to secure the return of around 2,200. 'We need more help. We need thousands children to get them back,' he said.

Context: Three Years of Full-Scale War

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022 and has since become Europe's largest armed conflict since World War II. The war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of military casualties and widespread destruction across Ukrainian territory, while drawing extensive military and financial support from Western governments for Kyiv. As the conflict enters its fourth year, air defence capacity has emerged as one of the most consequential and contested variables on the battlefield.