Zelenskyy said Ukraine has built strong defenses against drones and cruise missiles during the war, but ballistic missiles remain the main unresolved threat. He described Russia’s use of ballistic missiles as its last major advantage.
“The one thing we still need to do here in Europe is build a strong defense against Russia’s ballistic missiles. This is a big challenge – it’s true. This is Russia’s last major advantage,” Zelenskyy said.
He said the issue has importance beyond Ukraine, pointing to recent conflicts in the Middle East and the Gulf. “And as we have seen from the wars in the Middle East and the Gulf, this is an issue of global importance.”
Zelenskyy said Europe should not rely only on existing production capacity for anti-ballistic defence. “I believe Europe urgently needs its own capability to produce anti-ballistic systems and the missiles they require.”
He said Ukraine and its partners value the Patriot air defense system, but that existing production is not sufficient. “We all value the Patriot system. It is an excellent system. There are others as well.”
“But today’s wars have shown that current Patriot production is not enough to meet the growing demand for protection against ballistic missiles. That is a fact,” he said.
Zelenskyy said governments and industry must respond to that shortage. “And we must respond to that fact.”
He said countries defending civilians and infrastructure need more Patriot systems and missiles. “Those who defend life need more Patriots. We have also discussed Patriot production licenses with our American partners. I ask you to support our efforts to make this happen.”
Zelenskyy also called for European anti-ballistic systems that can be produced quickly and affordably. “And one final point. As I said, Europe needs its own effective anti-ballistic systems and missiles.”
“This work is already underway, and I urge all of you and all our partners to give it the attention it deserves. And this cannot wait until 2030 or beyond – Europe needs affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic systems as soon as possible. In fact – today,” he said.
The Ukrainian president said the issue should be seen primarily as a matter of protection rather than profit. “I am sure you agree with me, this is not about maximizing profits for governments or for industry.”
“It is about providing the strongest possible protection, first of all – protection for hundreds of millions of Europeans. And that protection is needed today, not years from now,” Zelenskyy said.
He said Ukraine is working on developing an Anti-Ballistic Coalition and hopes it will produce concrete results. “We work on developing the Anti-Ballistic Coalition, and I hope it will deliver real, strong results.”
Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs more air defense missiles while broader production and industrial efforts continue. “While this work continues, please help us get more air defense missiles. This is our top priority right now.”
He said Ukraine can handle many other defense tasks itself, but air defense depends on the will of partners. “We are capable of doing everything else ourselves. But when it comes to air defense, we need our partners’ determination.”
Zelenskyy urged NATO partners to make air defense decisions a major outcome of the Ankara summit. “Please let more determination and more decisions for air defense be one of the key outcomes of this NATO Summit in Ankara.”
He also called for closer cooperation with Ukraine on modern defenses against drone threats. “I encourage all of you, and all our NATO partners, to work closely with us, with Ukraine, to develop modern defense capabilities and protection against every type of drone threat.”
