Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed NATO allies at the Ankara summit Tuesday to accelerate Patriot interceptor deliveries, warning Europe has no credible defense against Russia’s expanding ballistic missile campaign.

The appeal came one day after Russian forces struck Kyiv with 68 missiles and 351 drones, killing at least 22 people. Ukraine intercepted none of the incoming ballistic missiles, reflecting a Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor shortage drawn down during the U.S.-led Iran war.

The NATO Summit in Ankara – and, as our partners say, Ukraine rightfully belongs here. Our main tasks are to secure more air defense and stronger diplomatic positions. All meetings planned for today have taken place, along with some additional important ones that were not on the… pic.twitter.com/T9tlERfjbS

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 7, 2026

“Please help us get more air defense missiles. This is our top priority right now,” Zelensky told the NATO Defense Industry Forum. “We are capable of doing everything else ourselves. But when it comes to air defense, we need our partners’ determination.”

The supply deficit is structural. The Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates 1,060 to 1,430 PAC-3 interceptors were expended during the Iran war. Lockheed Martin produces roughly 600 per year and cannot guarantee delivery timelines, The Financial Times reported. Russia is on track to fire more than 1,000 ballistic missiles at Ukraine this year, a 15-fold increase from 2023, the Atlantic Council reported Tuesday.

Zelensky said interceptors exist in allied stockpiles outside the United States and urged those governments to release them. He also pressed Europe to build independent anti-ballistic production capacity. “Europe needs its own effective anti-ballistic systems and missiles,” he said. “This cannot wait until 2030.”

We value Germany’s leadership in strengthening our air defense through bilateral support and substantial contributions to the PURL initiative. Thanks to this, we are able to procure anti-ballistic missiles that are in short supply. This is especially important now, as Russia is… pic.twitter.com/xOft7acH0D

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 7, 2026

Zelensky renewed Ukraine’s push for NATO membership, pointing to drone strikes on targets 1,680 miles inside Russia. “Do you really believe it would be right to leave outside NATO a country and a people with this level of defensive capability?” he said.

🇺🇦🤝🇨🇦 Thank you, Canada!

During the NATO Summit in Ankara, President @ZelenskyyUa met with PM @MarkJCarney, who announced CAD $925M (~US $650M) in new military assistance.

Ukraine and Canada discussed strengthening defence industrial partnership — including drone… pic.twitter.com/jAxJiRF9et

— Defense of Ukraine (@DefenceU) July 7, 2026

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced more than $40 billion in counter-drone investments over five years, including plans for five MQ-4C Triton high-altitude drones and 10 Saab GlobalEye airborne surveillance aircraft. Zelensky meets Trump on Wednesday.