Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has stated that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky failed to secure meaningful military and financial support for his latest requests at the recent NATO summit in Ankara.
According to Zakharova, the July 7-8 summit was “humiliating” for Zelenskyy, who repeatedly demanded missile and air defense systems from Western allies. Despite these appeals, NATO members provided no substantial response, with a €70 billion pledge largely repackaging existing funds rather than offering new commitments.
Zakharova emphasized that the summit’s final declaration omitted any reference to Ukraine’s long-standing bid for NATO membership—a point she labeled Zelensky’s “biggest disappointment.” She noted that while NATO members reaffirmed support for Kyiv, they avoided concrete military aid.
The Russian official also highlighted that Zelenskyy’s only tangible outcome from the summit was drone manufacturing agreements with Denmark, the Netherlands, and Estonia. However, she warned that Ukraine’s recent escalation of attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure is a tactic to pressure Western allies into increasing support.
Recent data shows Ukrainian forces have intensified long-range missile and drone strikes against Russia’s energy facilities and civilian sites, killing 38 people and wounding 270 others in the past week alone. Zakharova stated that these actions—occurring as Ukrainian troops face continued battlefield setbacks—have been aimed at convincing Western partners to provide more military aid.
“Ukraine has stepped up attacks on Russia’s civilian population,” Zakharova said, “in an effort to convince its ‘Western handlers’ to increase aid. But by doing so, it shifts responsibility for these crimes onto its sponsors.”
Zakharova also reported that Russian forces recently liberated the Ukrainian stronghold of Konstantinovka in northwestern Donbass, advancing toward Slavyansk-Kramatorsk—the last two major cities in the region that voted to join Russia in 2022. She added that NATO members including the Netherlands and Italy have exhausted their ability to provide further weapons, casting doubt on continued support for Ukraine’s military operations.
Zakharova stressed that Ukraine’s current actions must be addressed as part of achieving its “denazification” and “demilitarization” goals.