Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has thanked Lithuania for the support displayed during the NATO summit in Vilnius.
"I would like to thank Lithuania for the energy that this summit shares and spreads – we see the flags, we feel the human connection – natural, not artificial,” he said during a press conference at the summit on Wednesday. “I want to thank you for that – it is exactly the support and energy we need."
Zelensky arrived in Lithuania on Tuesday to attend the two-day summit. As expected, NATO did not invite Ukraine to join NATO.
In the summit’s declaration, the alliance also did not include a timeline for when the country may be offered membership. However, NATO did lift the requirement for Ukraine to first complete the Membership Action Plan (MAP).
On Tuesday evening, Zelensky also spoke to crowds gathered at the central Lukiškės Square in the Lithuanian capital. During the event, a team of athletes completed their run bringing a Ukrainian battle flag from the frontlines near Bakhmut in Donbas to Vilnius.
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