Zelensky says Ukraine 'urgently' needs air defense system to repel Russian attacks

Secretary General of NATO, Mark Rutte, in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Foundation, in Washington D.C., in the United States, on April 9, 2026.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated this Tuesday (7) that his country "urgently" needs an air defense system to repel air attacks from Russia.
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Zelensky's speech at the beginning of the North Atlantic Military Alliance (NATO) summit comes amid a shortage of Ukrainian air defenses in the 5th year of the war against Russia. In recent days, Moscow has intensified bombings against Kiev, and Ukraine failed to shoot down any of the Russian missiles in an attack this week that killed 22 people. There are already 50 dead in the Ukrainian capital
The NATO summit is taking place in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, and will be attended by the president of the United States, Donald Trump. He has been pressuring member countries of the military alliance to assume a greater share of joint defense spending, which has caused internal tensions within the bloc.
In response to the pressure, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced new arms purchase agreements on Tuesday (read more below).
Zelensky stated that he will discuss with Trump this urgent need for air defenses in Ukraine during a bilateral meeting between the two on Wednesday. The Ukrainian leader also told the NATO summit that it is necessary to increase pressure against Russia in the form of ballistic missiles, air defenses and sanctions against Moscow.
NATO unveils arms purchase deals
Leaders of the Western military alliance North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began announcing arms deals worth tens of billions of dollars in Turkey on Tuesday, reinforcing the message that they are heeding calls from the United States to increase defense spending in Europe before a summit with US President Donald Trump.
To the sound of lively music and well-produced videos at a defense industry forum in the capital Ankara, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced a series of initiatives, inviting a list of representatives from NATO member countries to take the stage. The total value of the various agreements was projected on a screen.
"We can do more when we act together. And we need to do more of that," Rutte said. "Nato allies are joining new multinational acquisition coalitions. This really helps us get more of what you need across a wide range of capabilities."
The deals, which had been kept mostly secret to make an impact at the summit, included European countries' purchase of surveillance drones from U.S. company Northrop Grumman, and NATO's purchase of aircraft from Sweden's Saab.
The U.S. is also in talks with Germany and other nations about establishing joint production in Europe of missiles that are in high demand for the defense of Ukraine, a source told Reuters.
The move came amid growing concern in Washington about the ability of US arms manufacturers to meet demand, as both the war against Iran and the war in Ukraine have depleted US weapons stocks.
Rutte also said that NATO allies will invest more than US$40 billion (about R$205.6 billion) over the next five years in its counter-drone capabilities.
The announcements come amid Trump's frequent criticism of Europe for insufficient contributions to defense and for relying too much on the US to defend it through NATO, which has protected the continent since the early years of the Cold War.
Trump reinforced the message in a video released on Truth Social in anticipation of his visit, urging Europe to spend more on its own defense.

Source: G1