# A more confident Zelensky arrives at NATO, buoyed by strikes inside Russia > According to the Straits Times, a more confident Zelensky is arriving at this year's NATO summit, a change in posture that several - Author: Maxime Marquette - Publisher: MadMax (https://mad-max.co) - Section: Analysis - Published: 2026-07-07 - Canonical URL: https://mad-max.co/en/article/un-zelensky-plus-confiant-debarque-a-l-otan-porte-par-ses-frappes-en-russie ## Introduction: the shift in tone everyone is noticing ### What observers are seeing in Ankara According to the **Straits Times**, a **more confident Zelensky** is arriving at this year's **NATO** summit, a change in posture that several diplomats and journalists present in **Ankara** describe as noticeable from the very first exchanges. This is no longer the **president** of a country on the **defensive** showing up, but that of a **nation** that has learned, at great cost, to impose its own **tempo** on the battlefield. This shift in tone is grounded in concrete developments documented in recent weeks: **deep Ukrainian strikes** targeting Russian military supply routes, along with repeated operations against strategic targets in **occupied Crimea**, territory **illegally annexed** by **Moscow** since **2014**. ### Why this breakdown is necessary A shift in **diplomatic demeanor**, however visible, deserves to be analyzed with **precision** rather than accepted as a mere journalistic impression. This piece seeks to understand what, concretely, is fueling this **new confidence**, and what it means for the negotiations ahead. *A wartime leader finally showing an ounce of confidence is not arrogance, it is the earned result of three and a half years of relentless resistance. I'll say it plainly: Volodymyr Zelensky has earned every bit of this newfound assurance.* ## The deep strikes reshaping the military equation ### Russian supply routes hit with precision **Ukrainian** forces have, in recent weeks, stepped up strikes against the **supply routes** the Russian army uses to resupply its positions at the front. These operations, made possible by a combination of **long-range drones** and **precision missiles** developed partly at home, have disrupted **Russian military logistics** in a documented way. This newfound ability to strike far behind enemy lines marks a **significant evolution** compared with the early years of the conflict, when **Ukraine** had far more limited means of projecting firepower beyond the immediate front line. ### Occupied Crimea, a strategic and symbolic target The repeated strikes against military installations in **occupied Crimea** carry both a strategic and symbolic dimension: strategic because the peninsula serves as a major logistics base for Russian operations in southern **Ukraine**, symbolic because it remains the first territory illegally annexed by **Moscow** in **2014**. *Every successful strike in occupied Crimea strikes me as a reminder that this peninsula, stolen in 2014, remains Ukrainian territory in the eyes of international law. Ukraine is simply reclaiming what belongs to it.* ## What this new confidence changes in diplomatic posture ### A negotiator speaking from a strengthened position A leader arriving at the **negotiating** table after a series of documented **military successes** negotiates differently than a leader in a purely defensive position. Analysts cited by the **Straits Times** note that this dynamic directly influences the tone **Zelensky** takes in his exchanges with Western allies in **Ankara**. This shift does not mean, however, that **Ukraine** has reached a decisive balance of power across the entire front: it instead signals a **momentary shift in dynamic** that strengthens the **credibility** of Ukrainian demands without guaranteeing a swift end to the conflict. ### The effect on Western allies This newfound assurance also appears to be affecting how Western allies perceive the situation, with several **diplomats** noting **increased receptiveness** to Ukrainian requests when they are backed by tangible military results rather than mere appeals for help. *I believe this dynamic reveals a simple but often forgotten truth: Western diplomacy responds better to a demonstration of resilience than to the invocation of suffering alone, however legitimate. It's cynical, but it's also the reality Zelensky has clearly absorbed.* ## What the missing interceptors reveal on the ground ### A paradox accompanying this new confidence This assurance displayed by **Zelensky** in **Ankara** coexists with a troubling reality documented on **July 6**: the total inability of **Ukrainian** defenses to intercept the Russian ballistic missiles fired at **Kyiv** that night. This paradox illustrates the two-speed nature of this war, in which deep offensive successes coexist with glaring defensive vulnerabilities. It is precisely this contradiction that **Zelensky** must bring before his **NATO** allies in **Ankara**: an army capable of striking far behind Russian lines, yet still dependent on Western interception systems that remain insufficient to protect its capital from ballistic fire. ### The interceptor request, a test of credibility for allies **Zelensky**'s new confidence should therefore not be read as a sign that **Ukraine** no longer needs Western help; quite the opposite: it comes with an urgent request for new interceptors, presented as the absolute priority of this summit in the eyes of the **Ukrainian** presidency. How this specific request is handled, more than any statement of principle, will determine whether **Zelensky**'s diplomatic momentum in **Ankara** translates into real protection for **Ukrainian** civilians in the weeks following the summit. *This contradiction should embarrass every Western capital present in Ankara: applauding Ukrainian strikes in Crimea while leaving Kyiv without adequate defense against Russian ballistic missiles means celebrating the offense while neglecting the protection of civilians.* ## The summit context amplifying this confidence ### A highly anticipated meeting with Trump The **NATO summit in Ankara** carries particular weight this year: **Zelensky** is set to meet **Donald Trump** in person, against a backdrop of parallel **diplomatic developments**, including a recent call between **Trump** and **Vladimir Putin**. This **convergence of events** places the Ukrainian president under particularly close scrutiny this year. The confidence **Zelensky** is displaying could thus amount to a deliberate strategic response to this context, aimed at demonstrating that **Ukraine** remains a central actor in negotiations rather than a mere topic of discussion between great powers. *I note, with a mix of cautious relief and wariness, that Trump is for now maintaining the architecture of American military support. But recent history has taught us never to take that continuity for granted with this administration.* ### What this assurance must not obscure Despite this new confidence, the humanitarian and military situation on the ground remains extremely difficult: **Russian bombardments** against **civilian targets** continue, as shown by the failed interception of ballistic missiles over **Kyiv** documented in early July. ## Three and a half years of resistance that explain this moment ### A trajectory that came at a heavy price This new confidence does not appear out of nowhere: it is the culmination of more than three and a half years of **Ukrainian** resistance against a full-scale invasion, marked by considerable **human losses**, **massive destruction** of infrastructure, and an **economic and social mobilization** unprecedented on the European continent since the Second World War. Every stage of this resistance, from the first weeks of the **invasion** in **2022** to the current deep strikes, has helped build the military and diplomatic credibility **Zelensky** now holds on the international stage. ### The human cost accompanying every military success It would nonetheless be wrong to celebrate this new confidence without recalling the **immense human cost** that accompanies it: every successful strike against Russian lines is part of a conflict that continues to cost **Ukrainian lives**, civilian and military, every single day. *I refuse to turn this new confidence into a triumphalist narrative that erases the human price of this war. Zelensky is right to display this assurance in Ankara, but it rests on a collective Ukrainian sacrifice we must never normalize.* ## What Western allies must understand about this moment ### A window of diplomatic opportunity This moment of Ukrainian confidence potentially represents a window of opportunity for Western allies: backing this positive dynamic with **concrete commitments**, notably on the interception systems **Kyiv** is requesting, could consolidate the **gains achieved** on the ground rather than letting them fade for lack of sufficient support. Conversely, a timid Western response at this moment of Ukrainian momentum would risk squandering a **tactical** and **psychological advantage** hard-won after months of attritional warfare. ### Trump's specific role in this equation **Donald Trump**, whose administration has so far maintained the essential architecture of military support for **Ukraine**, could play a decisive role in turning this Ukrainian confidence into concrete diplomatic progress at this summit. *Trump's role in this equation remains, in my view, the most unpredictable factor of this entire summit. His military support holds for now, but his vague optimistic rhetoric about an imminent end to the war worries me as much as it reassures advocates of a quick ceasefire.* ## Verdict of this breakdown ### A confidence grounded in verifiable facts This breakdown confirms that the **shift in posture** observed in **Zelensky** ahead of the **NATO summit in Ankara** rests on concrete, documented developments: successful Ukrainian strikes against Russian supply routes and targets in **occupied Crimea**, rather than a mere communications strategy disconnected from the ground. This confidence nonetheless remains confined to specific tactical successes, without fundamentally transforming the **overall balance of power** in a war that continues to impose a considerable human and material cost on both sides. ### What to watch after Ankara The true measure of this moment's **impact** will be seen in the weeks following the **summit**, through the concrete commitments made by Western allies and the evolving pace of Ukrainian strikes against Russian positions. *I say it without indulgence: confidence displayed in Ankara feeds no one in Kharkiv and protects no one in Kyiv. The final verdict on this summit will be read in weapons deliveries, not diplomatic smiles.* *I will remain attentive, in the coming weeks, to whether this confidence translates into tangible Western commitments. An assured posture in Ankara is worth something, in the end, only if it turns into arms deliveries and renewed diplomatic support.* ## Conclusion: an earned confidence that must translate into action ### What this moment really represents This breakdown establishes that a **more confident Zelensky** arriving at **NATO** is neither a communications accident nor an artificial posture, but the reflection of **real military successes** achieved at the cost of a sustained **war effort** over more than three and a half years. This confidence deserves to be recognized for what it is: the fruit of a resistance that came at great cost. It must never, however, obscure the fact that this war continues to kill Ukrainian civilians every week, and that true victory will only be measured against the standard of a **just and lasting peace**, not a mere shift in diplomatic tone. ### The test still to come The real test of this moment of confidence will play out in the weeks following the **Ankara** summit, when we learn whether Western allies managed to turn this positive dynamic into concrete, lasting commitments to **Kyiv**. **By Maxime Marquette, columnist** ## Columnist's transparency note ### Editorial stance I am not a journalist but a **columnist and analyst**. My expertise lies in observing and analysing the geopolitical, economic and strategic dynamics that shape our world. My work is to take political strategies apart, to understand global economic movements, to put the decisions of international actors in context and to offer analytical perspectives on the changes that are redefining our societies. I do not claim the cold objectivity of traditional journalism, which stops at reporting facts. **I claim analytical clarity**, rigorous interpretation and a deep understanding of the complex issues that concern us all. My role is to give meaning to the facts, to place them in their historical and strategic context, and to offer a critical reading of events. ### Method and sources This text keeps the basic distinction between **verified facts and interpretive analysis**. The rule never changes: a factual claim is published only when a verifiable source supports it, and the sources this article actually used are listed under **Sources**, never here. **Primary source families** used by the publication, when the story has them: official statements from governments and international institutions, public statements by political leaders, reports from intergovernmental organisations, dispatches from recognised international news agencies. **Secondary source families**: specialised publications, internationally recognised news media, analyses from established research institutions, reports from industry organisations. When an article cites statistical, economic or geopolitical data, it comes from the institutions that produce it (intergovernmental organisations, central banks, national statistics offices), and the exact institution is named under **Sources**. ### Nature of the analysis The analyses, interpretations and perspectives in the analytical sections of this article are a **critical, contextual synthesis** based on the information available, the trends observed and the expert comments cited in the sources consulted. My role is to interpret these facts, to set them in the context of today's geopolitical and economic dynamics, and to give them a coherent meaning within the larger story of the changes shaping our time. These analyses reflect expertise built through continuous observation of international affairs and an understanding of the strategic mechanisms that drive global actors. This article describes a documented state of affairs on its publication date, not a prediction: later developments may shift its outlook. No update is promised in advance; when an article is corrected or completed, the change is dated in the text. ## Sources ### Primary sources - Ukraine's Ministry of Defence — official statements - Presidency of Ukraine — speeches and statements by Volodymyr Zelensky - Army Inform — Ukrainian defense news ### Secondary sources - The Straits Times — It's a different, more confident Ukraine president Zelensky coming to NATO this year, July 2026 - Foreign Policy — coverage of the NATO summit in Ankara - The Guardian International — geopolitical coverage --- Source: Maxime Marquette, MadMax. When citing, name the author and link https://mad-max.co/en/article/un-zelensky-plus-confiant-debarque-a-l-otan-porte-par-ses-frappes-en-russie