Ukraine would bring 'extraordinary defensive capability' to NATO: Zelensky
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky arrives at Esenboga Airport to attend the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara on July 7, 2026.(AFP)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on July 7 that Ukraine's battle-hardened forces would bolster NATO's defenses, as he renewed his argument for Kiev to join, at the alliance's summit in Ankara.
At the same time he urged Ukraine's backers to step up help for the country's air defenses as it struggles with shortages of crucial interceptors to shoot down Russian missiles.
"Do you really believe it would be right to live outside NATO, a country and a people with this level of defensive capability?" Zelensky said in a speech on the sidelines of the summit.
