Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna, at a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council at the ambassadorial level at NATO headquarters in Brussels, called on the allies to strengthen Ukraine's air defense.

"The key topics of the meeting were Ukraine's security needs, expectations from the NATO Summit in Washington, as well as the institutional development of Ukraine as part of the implementation of an adapted annual national program," the deputy prime minister's press service said in a statement following the meeting.

Stefanishyna noted that it is now important to ensure stability in the provision of military support to Ukraine, because, in her opinion, it was the delays in the provision of critical weapons that made the recent Russian offensive possible.

"Our immediate military needs remain the same - air defense systems, F-16 combat aircraft, ammunition, long-range artillery, armored vehicles and other necessary things," she said.

Commenting on the Ukrainian side's expectations from the NATO Washington summit, which will take place in July of this year, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that among the decisions there should be those aimed at strengthening Ukraine's air defense.

According to the report, Stefanishyna also informed NATO member states about institutional transformations as part of the implementation of the adapted annual national program, in particular in the field of anti-corruption, the rule of law and achieving compliance with Alliance standards.