Zelenskyy urges long‑term support to sustain Ukraine as Europe’s strongest army

Europe-Asia

KYIV, Ukraine (NPA) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for long-term international support and funding for Ukraine’s military, arguing that the country’s armed forces have become Europe’s most effective defence against large-scale aggression.

Addressing the 35th meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group (UDCG), a coalition of more than 50 countries coordinating military and security assistance for Ukraine, Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian army had demonstrated its ability to deter and resist sustained military aggression.

According to him, preserving that capability after the war would be essential to Europe’s future security architecture.

“Today, the Ukrainian army is effectively the main army in Europe that can deter and resist large-scale aggression over a long period of time. And after this war, this must remain the case,” Zelenskyy said.

“The existence of such an army should help prevent any future aggressive moves by Putin. That is why we need to start thinking now about how to provide the funding the Ukrainian army will need in the years ahead.”

He argued that a stronger and more secure Europe would depend on long-term cooperation with Ukraine and continued support for its military capabilities.

“If we want Europe to have the strongest army, one that can truly respond to any threat, this is only possible with long-term cooperation with Ukraine and long-term support for the Ukrainian army. This is a realistic new security architecture for Europe,” he added.

Zelenskyy also highlighted what he described as urgent military requirements, including unmanned ground vehicles and long-range artillery ammunition.

He disclosed that he had raised both issues with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, stressing that current production levels and funding commitments were insufficient to meet Ukraine’s operational needs.

“Right now, there is not enough of either. We need both urgently. The funding being allocated for this is not enough. The quantities Europe is producing are not enough. What the Ukrainian army is receiving is not enough,” he said.

The Ukrainian leader maintained that Europe possesses the industrial capacity to increase production and supply if the necessary political decisions are made.

Zelenskyy also called for stronger anti-ballistic missile defence systems to counter what he described as Russia’s continued reliance on missile attacks.

“We all see that Putin is now relying on one last thing: constant missile attacks. He has ballistic missiles. So we need anti-ballistic capabilities,” he said.

While noting that Ukraine has achieved an interception rate of more than 90 per cent against drone attacks and has strengthened its ability to defend against cruise missiles, Zelenskyy acknowledged that Russian ballistic missiles remain a significant challenge.

“We’ve done a lot to defend against drones, and our interception rate is above 90 per cent. That is a serious achievement. We are also defending against cruise missiles. But Russian ballistic missiles remain a problem, and we need an answer to that problem,” he said.

He urged members of the anti-ballistic coalition supporting Ukraine to accelerate efforts to deliver more effective air defence systems.

“Our anti-ballistic coalition must demonstrate full capability and deliver real results. By this winter, we should already see concrete outcomes from our joint work on anti-ballistic defence,” Zelenskyy said.