President Volodymyr Zelensky went to the NATO meeting in Vilnius seeking promises Ukraine could join the alliance once the war with Russia is over.
At a joint press conference with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Zelensky made the case again for swift entry to the Alliance.
In a communique, NATO had previously said it recognised the need to move faster but would not be drawn on a timeframe.
“It’s unprecedented and absurd when a time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine’s membership. While at the same time vague wording about ‘conditions’ is added even for inviting Ukraine,” he tweeted before the meeting, “Uncertainty is weakness.”
NATO diplomats emphasised that they had set out a clearer path to membership, and the onerous application process had been shortened significantly.
The alliance had recognised Ukraine’s army was was becoming increasingly “interoperable” and more “politically integrated” with NATO forces and it would continue to support reforms to Ukraine’s democracy and security sector.
Diplomats also highlighted the creation of a new NATO-Ukraine Council, meeting on Wednesday for the first time, which will give Kyiv the right to summon meetings of the whole alliance.
