Zelensky Urges NATO To Admit Ukraine And Boost Air Defense In Ankara Summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky renewed his appeal for Ukraine to join NATO on the sidelines of the alliance’s summit in Ankara, arguing that “Ukraine belongs in Nato” because NATO with Ukraine would be “the alliance for the future.”

“Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday called for Europe to accelerate the development and mass production of air defense systems, telling NATO allies that Ukraine has become "a source of extraordinary defensive capability" for the alliance”

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Speaking at a NATO defence industry forum, Zelensky asked, “Do you really believe it would be right to leave outside Nato a country and a people with this level of defensive capability?”

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He said Ukraine’s armed forces have gained extensive combat experience during more than four years of war and that those capabilities would strengthen NATO’s collective defence.

Zelensky also urged allies to step up support for Ukraine’s air defence as Russia continues its missile and drone attacks, saying “when it comes to air defence, we need our partners’ determination.”

Zelensky pressed NATO for air defence systems at the Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, telling allies that “Ukraine, in NATO, is a source of extraordinary defensive capability.”

He added that Europe needs “affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic systems as soon as possible — in fact, today,” and said the priority is “to find a way to obtain, as quickly as possible, missiles for the Patriot systems.”

Anadolu Ajansı

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking after Zelensky’s address, said “there is a major issue we must work on: air defense” and that the alliance must ensure “your cities and your critical infrastructure are protected.”

Rutte also framed the summit’s urgency around battlefield performance, praising Ukraine’s ability to prevent Russia from making major advances and describing the front as “more or less a stalemate.”

Zelensky argued that Ukraine is capable of doing “everything else” itself, but that “when it comes to air defence, we need our partners’ determination,” while calling for greater cooperation with European countries to develop an alternative to the US-made Patriot missile defence system.

He also urged Washington to allow licensed production of Patriot systems in Ukraine, and said Ukraine now defends itself against “hundreds of Russian drones every day” while continuing to increase domestic weapons production despite the war.

In parallel, NATO announced investments and planned spending on air capabilities, with Rutte confirming the purchase of five Triton high-altitude drones, a fleet of Airbus A400M aircraft, and 10 SAAB GlobalEye aircraft for air warning and surveillance.

The summit’s wider stakes were framed by the NATO leaders’ focus on defence investment and military support for Ukraine, as the NATO summit continues through Wednesday with allied leaders set to discuss defense investments, military support for Ukraine, and efforts to expand the alliance’s defense industrial base.