Zelenskyy Outlines Ukraine’s Priorities at Ukraine–NATO Council Meeting in Kyiv
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia’s growing missile production capacity remains the most serious threat facing Ukraine, as he addressed participants of the Ukraine–NATO Council meeting in Kyiv on June 3, UATV English reports.
According to Zelenskyy, Russia killed 23 people, including children, during a single large-scale attack on Ukraine the previous day. The assault involved more than 650 drones launched overnight and around 100 more during the day. However, he stressed that ballistic missiles remain the greatest danger.
The president said Russia is currently capable of producing around 120 ballistic missiles per month, in addition to other types of missiles, allowing it to conduct several large-scale attacks every month alongside its ongoing missile campaign against Ukraine.
At the same time, Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine’s positions on the battlefield remain strong and that Ukrainian forces are gradually reclaiming occupied territory. He said Russia achieved almost no significant battlefield gains in May despite sustaining losses of 30,000–35,000 personnel per month.
According to the president, the nature of Russian casualties has also changed, with approximately 63% of losses now consisting of killed troops and 37% severely wounded, creating growing manpower challenges for Moscow.
Zelenskyy also highlighted the impact of Ukrainian long-range strikes, saying they have caused fuel shortages in temporarily occupied territories and parts of central Russia while disrupting Russian logistics networks.
“This pressure forces Russia to choose between diplomacy and further losses,” he said, adding that ballistic missiles remain Moscow’s “last argument” in the war.
The president thanked partner nations participating in the Patriot Urgent Response and Logistics (PURL) initiative for supplying Patriot interceptor missiles but stressed that current delivery volumes and speed remain insufficient.
“We need more Patriot interceptors, and we need them faster,” Zelenskyy said.
He emphasized that strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities against both cruise and ballistic missiles remains a key priority and argued that sufficient interceptor missiles exist globally to provide such protection if the necessary political decisions are made.
Zelenskyy also revealed that he had recently sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump and members of Congress urging additional support for Ukraine’s air defense needs and called on allies to help secure a positive response.
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4 of June 2026
