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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said his country should be member of NATO because it already possesses some of the most advanced battlefield capabilities in Europe.
Addressing NATO’s Summit Defence Industry Forum in Ankara, he insisted that Ukraine is no longer a security recipient, but now a provider.
Kyiv’s military has become a “source of extraordinary defensive capability” for Europe, Zelenskyy said, due to Ukraine’s rapid technological adaptation.
“Do you really believe it would be right to leave outside NATO, a country and people with this level of defensive capability?” he asked. “If we already have these capabilities, if Ukrainians already know how to fight like this, then it does make sense for these capabilities to become a part of the Alliance’s collective defence. That would make all of us stronger.”
Zelenskyy also said that Ukrainian membership would strengthen NATO’s deterrent power against Russia.
US President Donald Trump has ruled out Ukrainian membership of the alliance, and for a while, Kyiv seemed to park the idea. But the US-Israel war in Iran has seen Ukraine’s profile shift from vulnerable frontline state to defence leader, positioning Kyiv at the forefront of military innovation as Gulf states sought advanced drone technology to intercept Iranian strikes.
And while Ukraine’s drone intercepting know-how is now widely recognised, Zelenskyy insisted today that his forces have more to show off, including striking mid- and long-range capabilities.
“We have completely eliminated the very idea of Russia having a strategic rear,” Zelenskyy said in Ankara, adding that for a long time “Russia believed it had a territorial advantage” to safely keep its military production untouched. and that Moscow’s war “depends on believing no one could reach them”.
“Ukrainian drones broke through Russia’s defences and struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia,” he said.
On Monday, Ukrainian forces carried out a drone strike on an oil refinery in the city of Omsk, hitting the country’s most important fuel production site more than 2,500km from the Russia-Ukraine border.
“This is not an exception. It’s the new reality and there is no major oil refinery left in Russia that has not been struck by Ukraine.”
Zelenskyy pointed out that at this stage, the only important area where Ukraine and Europe are lacking is in anti-ballistic air defence. Current western production levels are insufficient for the scale of attacks now seen both in Ukraine and in conflicts across the Middle East.
“Those who defend life need more Patriots,” he said, referring to the US-made air defence system, while also urging Europe to develop its own mass-produced alternatives without delay.
Zelenskyy is expected to once again request the Patriot interceptors license to be shared with Ukraine when he meets Trump in Ankara on Wednesday.