Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked NATO for more air defence missiles at the alliance's July 2026 summit in Turkey, as Russia keeps bombing Ukrainian cities from the air BBC. Ukraine still wants to join NATO, but that membership remains unresolved The New York Times.

Zelensky said Ukraine "belongs in NATO," and he tied this to a direct request for American-made Patriot air defence systems TIME. The key shift: over the past year, Ukraine stopped asking for more Patriot launchers—think of them as the guns—and started asking specifically for interceptor missiles, the ammunition those guns fire. Getting ammunition has turned out to be much harder than getting the weapons themselves.

This difference has shaped negotiations for over a year. In July 2025, Trump said NATO would receive Patriot launchers and systems for Ukraine Reuters. By February 2026, NATO's top official reported that roughly 90% of Ukraine's Patriot air defence needs were met NATO. At the same time, Zelensky and NATO discussed speeding up missile deliveries president.gov.ua.

But that 90% number counted the equipment and defence coverage, not the ongoing need for new missiles. That gap is why Zelensky brought it up again in Turkey. By June 2026, NATO said the U.S. would provide the systems while European countries would pay for them NATO. This has become the standard way the U.S. helps: America supplies the equipment; Europe covers the cost.

Zelensky's push for more missiles comes from Russia's heavy bombing. In early June, he said ballistic missiles are "Russia's last remaining argument" in the war president.gov.ua. He explained that Russia is combining large numbers of ballistic missiles with waves of faster jet-powered drones president.gov.ua president.gov.ua. The newer jets are harder to stop because they fly lower and faster than the older drones Ukraine has been defending against. This means air defence systems have less time to react and use up their missiles faster.

Trump came to the summit for separate talks with Zelensky and other leaders Reuters. The meeting matters because the U.S. is the only country making new Patriot systems right now, and Trump has said Europe should pay for U.S. weapons rather than receive them free.

There was another moment at the summit that stood out. Trump said the U.S. should control Greenland instead of Denmark AP. This was awkward timing: Zelensky had just argued that Ukraine's NATO membership made sense for the alliance's security—the same alliance whose rules protect Denmark's control of Greenland.

What happened at the summit was not full resolution but slow progress. The 90% number from February was real, but Zelensky's return to missiles shows that progress did not give Ukraine the steady supply it needs against Russia's current attack levels. The system where America supplies equipment and Europe pays for it has worked as a compromise between allies, but it is unclear if it can keep pace with how many missiles Russia is now firing. Ukraine's NATO membership is still something Ukraine wants, but NATO has not given a date.