President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte identified the key priorities for strengthening our country’s air defense amid intensified Russian aerial terror.
“It would be very helpful if partners focused especially on protection against ballistic missiles – we discussed this a lot today – ballistic missiles that Russia started using more often and which are objectively harder to intercept. Ballistic missiles are Russia’s last remaining argument in its war against Ukraine, and we must find sufficient countermeasures,” the Head of State stressed.
Volodymyr Zelensky thanked all partners and Mark Rutte for ensuring that the PURL initiative continues to operate. Contributions were made in May, and further contributions are expected in June – this has been confirmed. Today alone, six countries confirmed that they will contribute to the program. At the same time, the President noted that additional steps are needed to increase both the speed and volume of deliveries. This was one of the key issues discussed during the meeting.
Mark Rutte noted that partners will continue supporting Ukraine and providing the most urgently needed types of weapons, including through PURL. According to him, NATO fully understands the urgency of Ukraine’s air defense needs.
The leaders also discussed Ukraine’s cooperation with partners in the Drone Deals format, as well as efforts to develop a European anti-ballistic defense. Our country is already working with France, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, and other partners on building European anti-ballistic defense capabilities. In addition, discussions with the United States are ongoing regarding the possibility of obtaining licenses to produce Patriot systems in Ukraine or jointly with NATO partners.
The President also highlighted cooperation with partners that are already working on joint defense production projects with Ukraine. Currently, we are allocating USD 45–50 billion annually to weapons production. Volodymyr Zelensky and Mark Rutte also discussed several initiatives that could provide Ukraine with stronger long-term financial security guarantees.
The Head of State noted that Ukraine will continue working on these issues during the G7 Summit and the NATO Summit, and thanked Mark Rutte for the invitation.
The NATO Secretary General stressed that Ukraine is changing the dynamics on the battlefield and using innovative approaches, while Russia’s actions increasingly resemble desperation. The Russian Federation is losing around 30,000 personnel every month – more than the Soviet Union lost during its entire ten-year war in Afghanistan.
“We know that Russia’s economy is under serious strain. We know that Russia cannot compensate for the toll their war is taking on their finances. The pressure is meant to bring Russia to the negotiating table – to end this war that they started over four years ago,” Mark Rutte said.
