Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, which opened on July 7 (local time), and once again appealed for his country's accession to the alliance.

According to AFP, President Zelenskyy held a press conference at the NATO summit venue in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye, and asserted, "A Ukraine within NATO will be a source of excellent defense capabilities."

He then asked rhetorically, "Do you think it is right for a country and a people with such outstanding defensive strength to live without being part of NATO?"

Regarding Russia's recent intensification of missile and drone strikes on the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, President Zelenskyy requested support, stating, "We can handle everything else on our own, but in terms of air defense, we need the resolve of our partner nations."

President Zelenskyy emphasized, "I hope that one of the key outcomes of this NATO summit will be a stronger will and more decisions regarding (Ukraine's) air defense."

He also noted that the production volume of U.S.-made Patriot missiles, which his country needs, is insufficient, and requested that the U.S. be persuaded to grant Ukraine a license to produce them domestically.

President Zelenskyy added that European countries should cooperate with Ukraine to develop more affordable, indigenous air defense technologies, stating, "Europe needs affordable, mass-producible ballistic missile interception systems right now."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)