'Nearly 28,000 Russian troops killed in June': Zelensky pitches Ukraine's NATO membership to boost alliance capabilities
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Nearly 28,000 Russian troops killed in June': Zelensky pitches Ukraine's NATO membership to boost alliance capabilities")
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky deliver a keynote speech at the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit in Ankara on July 7, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Zelensky urged NATO to step up support for Ukraine's air defences and said deep drone strikes, including a recent attack on an oil refinery in Siberia, had eliminated Russia's sense of having a secure strategic rear.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday renewed his appeal for Ukraine to join NATO, saying the country's battle-tested military would strengthen the alliance's collective defence. He also urged allies to increase support for Ukraine's air defences as the country faces a shortage of interceptor missiles needed to counter Russian attacks.
Highlighting Ukraine's achievements in drone warfare during more than four years of conflict with Russia, Zelensky argued that Kyiv's military capabilities would benefit NATO.
Speaking on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Zelensky said, "Today, we defend against hundreds and hundreds of attack drones every day, and thousands and thousands every week and every month. Ukraine’s defence sector is building that capability even in the middle of a full-scale war."
"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.
Zelensky repeated his call for NATO membership despite US President Donald Trump ruling out Kyiv's entry into the Western military alliance. Trump has opposed Ukraine's long-standing bid to join NATO while seeking to bring an end to the war with Russia.
The Ukrainian president said the country could manage most of its defence needs on its own but required stronger international support for air defence systems.
"We are capable of doing everything else ourselves, but when it comes to air defence, we need our partners' determination," he said.
Zelensky also claimed that Ukraine eliminated nearly 28,000 Russian soldiers in June alone and said every casualty had been verified through video evidence. He added that Ukraine had dismantled Russia's belief that it possessed a secure strategic rear by carrying out deep strikes inside the country, including a recent drone attack on an oil refinery in Siberia.
“In June alone, nearly 28,000 Russian soldiers were eliminated – and we have video confirmation for every single one of them. The overwhelming majority were struck by drones,” he said.
"We have completely eliminated the very idea of Russia having a strategic rear. For a long time, Russia believed it had a territorial advantage no one else possessed – a deep rear where it could safely keep military production, military equipment, and everything its war depends on, believing no one could reach it."
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"We have reached them. Just yesterday, Ukrainian drones broke through Russia’s defences and struck a Russian oil refinery in Siberia," he added.
Zelensky said the current production of US-made Patriot missiles was insufficient and urged allies to persuade Washington to allow Ukraine to manufacture the systems under licence. He also called on European countries to work with Ukraine to develop their own affordable anti-ballistic defence technology.
