Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly thanked Azerbaijan for its support during a speech at the NATO Defense Industry Forum in Ankara, highlighting Baku as one of Ukraine's important international partners.

Addressing participants on July 7 on the sidelines of the NATO summit, Zelenskyy said Ukraine now possesses "the world's largest drone capability" and invited partner countries to deepen cooperation through the new Drone Deal initiative, The Caspian Post reports via Report.

Zelenskyy noted that the initiative goes beyond the procurement of unmanned aerial systems. It also includes joint drone production, rapid deployment of advanced technologies, protection of critical infrastructure, and broader cooperation in the security and defense sectors.

"I want to thank every country's leader and every company that is cooperating with Ukraine in the defense sector," Zelenskyy said.

He specifically named the European Union, Türkiye, NATO member states, as well as Azerbaijan and the Gulf countries, describing them as Ukraine's strong partners.

Zelenskyy expressed confidence that expanding defense cooperation through initiatives such as Drone Deal would strengthen the security of all participating countries and improve their ability to respond to emerging threats.