Key Points
- NATO leaders refused to hand Ukraine an invitation or timetable for accession to the alliance.
- The declaration said NATO would extend an invitation to Ukraine "when allies agree and conditions are met."
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier said it was "absurd" NATO was not offering a timeframe.
NATO leaders have agreed that Ukraine's future lies within the alliance but they stopped short of handing the country the invitation or timetable for accession it sought, a stance that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier criticised as "absurd".
The leaders met at a summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius as a Ukrainian counteroffensive against the Russian invasion forces occupying parts of the country was proceeding more slowly than its allies had hoped.
In its declaration, NATO also dropped the requirement for Ukraine to fulfil what is called a Membership Action Plan (MAP), effectively removing a hurdle on Ukraine's way into the alliance.
"Ukraine's future is in NATO," the declaration said.
"We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met."
They did not specify the conditions Ukraine needs to meet but they said the alliance would help Ukraine to make progress on military interoperability as well as on additional democratic and security sector reforms.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy questions lack of NATO timeframe
Zelenskyy had earlier criticised NATO leaders for not offering a timeframe for membership.
"It's unprecedented and absurd when a timeframe is not set, neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership," Zelenskyy said before arriving as a special guest.
Zelenskyy's salvo at the start of a summit came after NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the bloc would send Ukraine a "positive message" on its path to membership.
It highlighted the divisions among NATO's 31 members over giving a date or a straightforward invitation for Ukraine to join.
Ukraine has been pushing for a swift entry, bound together with security guarantees, since even before Russia unleashed its invasion in February 2022.
The declaration said: "We reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the government and people of Ukraine in the heroic defence of their nation, their land and our shared values."
In strong language towards officials in Moscow, it said: "The Russian Federation is the most significant and direct threat to allies' security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area."
Asked about Zelenskyy's criticism, Stoltenberg told a press conference: "There has never been a stronger message from NATO at any time, both when it comes to the political message of the path forward for membership and the concrete support from NATO allies."
He said previous accessions to NATO had not been accompanied by a timeline.
"They are conditions-based, have always been," he said.
