Zelensky urges Europe to speed up air defense production at NATO summit in Ankara

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday called for Europe to accelerate the development and mass production of air defense systems, telling NATO allies that Ukraine has become "a source of extraordinary defensive capability" for the alliance.

Speaking at the NATO Summit Defence Industry Forum, the opening event of the alliance's 2026 summit in Ankara, Zelensky urged allies to expand defense industrial cooperation and speed up the delivery of critical air defense systems.

"Ukraine, in NATO, is a source of extraordinary defensive capability," he said.

Zelensky also stressed the need for Europe to strengthen its own missile shield. "Europe needs its own anti-ballistic systems and missiles, and this work is underway."

He added that Europe needs "affordable, mass-produced anti-ballistic systems as soon as possible — in fact, today."

Following the address, Zelensky appeared alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who reiterated the alliance's focus on strengthening Kyiv's air defenses.

"Welcome to the NATO summit. What we have seen over the last couple of months is what you guys are doing. It is really courageous," Rutte said.

"I think there's one big issue we have to work on — that's air defense. Making sure your cities, your vital infrastructure is protected," he added.

Zelensky thanked Rutte and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan for the invitation to the summit and welcomed the defense industry forum as an opportunity to deepen cooperation between Ukraine and allied defense companies.

"Some representatives of our defense sector will present what they do, how they do it, and I think this is very important to share all this experience with partners," he said.

He again underscored Ukraine's immediate military needs, saying the priority is "to find a way how to get, as quick as possible, missiles for Patriot systems."

US President Donald Trump also arrived Tuesday in Ankara for the two-day summit, where he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Zelensky on Wednesday.

Before departing from the US, Trump said he believes both Moscow and Kyiv are interested in reaching a settlement and indicated that the war in Ukraine would be among the key issues discussed by allied leaders.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would closely follow the outcome of the planned meeting between Trump and Zelensky on the summit sidelines. Speaking at a news conference in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, Lavrov said Russia would observe the talks following understandings reached during last year's Russia-US summit in Alaska.

The NATO summit continues through Wednesday, with allied leaders set to discuss defense investment, military support for Ukraine and efforts to expand the alliance's defense industrial base.