Europe needs affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic systems because ballistic missiles remain Russia’s last major advantage. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this during his address to the participants of the Defense Industries Forum in Ankara.
The Head of State noted that the nature of warfare has completely changed: drones and the technology of fighting at a distance have become central. Every month, Ukraine destroys around 30,000 Russian occupiers: in June alone, there is video confirmation of nearly 28,000 invaders eliminated.
Every day, a large number of Russian weapons and equipment, logistics facilities, and military targets are also destroyed, most of them with the help of drones. In addition, Ukraine is conducting a campaign to secure the Black Sea using naval drones.
“These are not just strike platforms used to destroy Russian warships at sea. Our naval drones have already evolved into multi-purpose platforms that can launch strikes from the sea against different targets on land and in the air,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
The President separately emphasized long-range strikes and medium-range strikes across the full depth of Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine has increased the interception rate of Russian Shahed drones to more than 90%.
“That means thousands of Russian attack drones shot down every week. And with all due respect, no other country has the capability to defend against attack drones at this scale. The reality of this war forced us to build it,” the Head of State emphasized.
The President noted that Ukraine is also maintaining a high interception rate against cruise missiles thanks to the development of its air defense and the support of partners who continue providing defense assistance. According to the Head of State, if Ukrainians already have these capabilities, then it is only logical that these capabilities become part of the Alliance’s collective defense.
“We have completely eliminated the very idea of Russia having a strategic rear. You know this country. For a long time, Russia believed it had a territorial advantage no one else possessed – a deep rear where it could safely keep military production, military equipment, and everything its war depends on, believing no one could reach them. We have reached them,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The Head of State noted that on July 6, Ukrainian drones broke through Russia’s defenses and struck an oil refinery in Siberia. Russia no longer has a single major oil refinery that Ukraine has not hit. He emphasized that, unlike Russia’s chief, Ukraine is not waging this war for pleasure or geopolitics, but because it is forced to defend itself.
“We are raising the cost of this war for Russia, and by doing so, increasing the chances for peace. We are able to do this thanks to the hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians working in our very important defense sector, and the hundreds of companies producing every type of modern weapon Ukraine needs. Today, because of this, Ukraine has the world’s largest and most advanced drone warfare capability. And we are offering this capability to our partners through the Drone Deal initiative,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.
The President thanked every leader, every country, and every company that cooperates with Ukraine in the defense sector. The Head of State noted that the European Union, Türkiye, NATO countries, Azerbaijan, the Gulf countries, and others are already strong partners of Ukraine.
At the same time, he said that Europe needs to build strong protection against Russian ballistic missiles and develop its own capability to produce anti-ballistic systems. The President emphasized that current Patriot production is insufficient to meet the demand for protection against ballistic 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,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The President noted that Europe needs affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic systems as soon as possible. He emphasized that this is not about increasing profits for governments or industry, but about ensuring strong protection for hundreds of millions of Europeans.
The Head of State expressed hope that the development of the Anti-Ballistic Coalition would deliver strong results. Volodymyr Zelenskyy added that while this work continues, Ukraine needs more air defense missiles.
“Please let more determination and more decisions for air defense be one of the key outcomes of this NATO Summit in Ankara. 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,” the President said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the leaders of the countries that have clearly stated that Ukraine’s place is in NATO, because NATO with Ukraine is an Alliance for the future. According to the President, NATO must meet the challenges of the modern world – with Ukraine, with the strength of Ukraine’s defense industry, and with the resilience and experience of our people.
The Defense Industries Forum is an integral part of the NATO Summit. It brings together senior Alliance officials, representatives of member states and partner countries, and industry leaders. This year’s forum focuses on the progress of member states in reaching NATO’s five percent defense investment plan, as well as on how these funds are being used to increase defense production, cooperation, and joint procurement.
