Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed NATO’s defense industry forum, arguing that his country’s demonstrated military strength should earn it membership in the alliance. He pointed to Ukraine’s domestically developed weapons, high drone-interception rates, and deep-strike capabilities against Russian targets as evidence. Though Russian advances have slowed and casualties remain heavy, NATO members—including the United States—have resisted admitting a nation actively at war with a nuclear-armed adversary. Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet separately with Turkey’s president and with Donald Trump, whose recent calls with both Kyiv and Moscow have raised hopes of renewed peace efforts. The debate matters because Ukraine’s exclusion from NATO, despite its battlefield performance, leaves it dependent on dwindling US air-defense supplies while facing continued ballistic missile attacks.