At a summit in Vilnius of the 31 NATO nations, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg insisted the alliance had never used "stronger language" to back Ukraine in its bitter fight to defeat the Russian invasion.
NATO leaders pledged that "Ukraine's future is in NATO" and shortened the eventual process Kyiv would have to go through to enter the alliance.
"We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met," a statement said.
But the failure to go much beyond a 2008 vow on future membership appeared a bitter blow to Zelensky, who was in Vilnius to address an admiring crowd of Lithuanian supporters in a packed city square ahead of his meetings with the NATO leaders.
"It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the alliance," he declared on Twitter, after getting advance notice of the cautious language in the summit statement.
- 'Uncertainty is weakness' -
"This means that a window of opportunity is being left to bargain Ukraine's membership in NATO in negotiations with Russia. And for Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror," he said, dubbing it "absurd" that no timeframe was set for an invitation.
"Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit," he said, vowing that -- far from exposing NATO members to conflict with Russia -- Ukraine's membership would make the alliance stronger and safer.
As Zelensky was speaking, Moscow upped the pressure on the NATO leaders meeting in Vilnius, claiming that its forces had made 1.5 kilometres of progress (more than a mile) across a two kilometre wide section of the eastern front.
If confirmed, this would bring them closer to the rail hub of Lyman, a town in the Donbas region of the east of the country. It was captured by Russian forces last year only to be liberated by Ukraine in its October 2022 counteroffensive.
Mindful of Zelensky's disappointment over his hopes for a membership timetable, Western officials stressed that there would be a broader package of support proposals designed to give Ukraine a military edge over the invader.
Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that the G7 group of major industrialised economies would issue a declaration on long-term support to kick in once "peace is obtained". This is expected to be announced on Wednesday after the NATO summit ends.
In the nearer term, Berlin pledged another 700 million euros ($771 million) in military assistance to Kyiv.
The new aid includes two Patriot missile system launchers, another 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles and 25 Leopard 1 tanks.
President Emmanuel Macron also said France was joining Britain in supplying long-range SCALP or Storm Shadow cruise missiles to allow Ukraine to strike Russian targets deep behind the frontline.
And Denmark and the Netherlands said an 11-nation coalition will start training Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets next month, with a new training centre to be set up in Romania.
- Defence spending boosted -
While eastern European nations had pushed for an explicit timetable to allow Kyiv to join, the US and Germany are reluctant to go beyond an earlier vow that it will become a member one day.
Biden, who will meet Zelensky on Wednesday, has said there is no agreement to offer Kyiv membership while the war with Russia rages, as this could drag NATO directly into the conflict.
The biggest war in Europe since World War II has propelled NATO into the most sweeping overhaul of its defences since the end of the Cold War.
Alliance leaders signed off on new regional plans to protect against any potential Russian attack and backed bolstering defence spending targets.
They agreed that their established goal of spending two percent of their national output on defence will become a minimum level.
"We do so recognising more is needed urgently to sustainably meet our commitments as NATO allies," the summit communique said.
"We affirm that in many cases, expenditure beyond 2 percent of GDP will be needed in order to remedy existing shortfalls and meet the requirements."
Vilnius crowds greet Zelensky as if on home turf
Vilnius (AFP) July 11, 2023 -
Welcomed by a forest of blue and gold banners and cheering well-wishers, President Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed rapturously on the streets of the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
Accompanied by his wife Olena and his Lithuanian counterpart, the Ukrainian leader may well have found inspiring the crowd in Lukiskes Square the easiest part of his day.
The NATO leaders meeting at a nearby summit were wrangling over how to soften the blow of disappointing Ukraine in its quest for an invitation to join the alliance.
But the Lithuanian public -- and Ukrainian exiles sheltering in the friendly ally -- were easier to win over, sympathetic to a friend facing a brutal Russian invasion.
"Slava Ukraini!" he bellowed, "Glory to Ukraine".
Zelensky's arrival had not been announced very far in advance -- his movements are still restricted for security reasons.
But after 16 months of war, and intense media coverage, the Ukrainian leader was unmistakable in his trademark dark sweatshirt and military-style khakis.
"Today I embarked on a trip here with faith in decisions, with faith in partners, with faith in a strong NATO," he said pointedly.
"In a NATO that does not hesitate, does not waste time... And I would like this faith to become confidence... And is that too much to expect?"
The event was dubbed "Raising the Flag for Ukraine in NATO" and the Lithuanian crowd was all behind the idea of getting another foe of Moscow into the alliance.
- 'More than a rock star' -
"NATO will give Ukraine security. Ukraine will make the alliance stronger," Zelensky declared, to cheers and, in some cases, emotional tears.
"I am almost 50, but I felt like a student. I was shouting, screaming like I saw a rock star," said Asta Ivanauskiene, a 47-tear-old public opinion researcher.
"He is more than a rock star," she told AFP, amid a crowd several thousand strong.
Lithuania has been independent since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1990, after what its government sees as seven decades of illegal Russian occupation.
Ukraine declared independence in 1991 but was partly occupied by Moscow-backed forces in 2014 and since February last year has been battling an all-out Russian invasion.
Lithuania has been able to join NATO and the European Union, seeing them as guarantors of its freedom -- Ukraine is now seeking the same protection.
Daiva Malikoniene, 50, and her 26-year-old daughter Gabija turned out an hour and a half before Zelensky appeared, and did not mind the wait.
"We also fought for our independence in the 1990s, it feels like deja vu," Daiva said.
"Russia maybe wants to return to days of the Soviet Union. We are very lucky, if we didn't belong to NATO and the EU, we would be the first" to be targeted.
Her daughter agreed. "We feel Ukraine also fights for our freedom. Lithuanian people feel we need to help Ukraine, to donate. We don't want occupation to happen again," she said.
- 'Know in our blood' -
Larger Ukrainian banners were sold out, but the pair had paper flags.
Also in the crowd, an emotional Ieva Vasiliauskaite hid her tears behind her sunglasses.
"We really support Ukraine joining NATO," she said, "Because they deserve it, because they are having a war for everyone, not just for Ukraine but for the Baltics, for the whole of Europe.
"We know what it's like because we've been occupied," she said. "Maybe not everyone in the West knows that, for example in France, the United Kingdom but in the Baltics, Poland, we know in our blood, we feel it."
At the symbolic high point of proceedings another Ukrainian flag was presented, this one brought by a relay team of runners from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, scene of the longest and bloodiest battle of the war so far.
As it was raised a singer launched into the national anthem: "Ukraine is not dead yet."
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