‘Please help us’: Zelenskyy presses NATO for air defense aid

Key Points:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on NATO allies to prioritize air defense support at the Ankara summit, emphasizing Ukraine’s urgent need for more ballistic missile interceptors.
• Ukraine faces a critical shortage of U.S.-made Patriot missiles, which are essential for defending against Russian ballistic missile attacks that drones and cruise missiles interception cannot fully address.
• Zelenskyy highlighted Ukraine’s advanced drone warfare capabilities and long-range strikes, demonstrating significant military progress, but stressed that effective ballistic missile defense remains a major vulnerability.
• He urged faster production and licensing of Patriot systems, encouraging European governments and industries to develop affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic missile systems to counter Russia’s missile threat without delay.
• Zelenskyy described Russia’s ballistic missile advantage as the last major strategic edge and called for immediate action to strengthen Europe’s defensive capabilities against these threats.