Zelensky slams NATO over no clear path to membership, despite Biden unity pitch

VILNIUS, Lithuania — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday upended a summit of NATO leaders discussing his country’s potential membership, blasting an agreement for its lack of a concrete timeline for Kyiv to join the alliance as well as the “absurd” process by which it was drafted.

In a fiery tweet, Zelensky frustrated Ukrainian advocates inside the alliance who believed they had secured a win for Kyiv by pushing the United States, Germany and other reluctant countries to consent to “issue an invitation for Ukraine to join NATO when the allies agree and conditions are met.” The language was read out by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after the agreement among NATO’s 31 leaders was made.

Ukraine has demanded a concrete timeline for NATO membership, pushing members to commit to specific steps for making that happen. But many NATO countries are cautious about risking direct war with Russia, and they are searching for a way to balance Ukraine’s hopes with pragmatic security calculations.