As armed guards kept watch at the border and amid the empty streets of Vilnius, NATO leaders gathered for the summit in what many hoped would become the deciding moment for Ukraine. It wasn’t to be.
In the end, the manic days wrapped with a painstakingly worked out declaration, fought over in corridors and behind closed doors at the Litexpo halls of the Lithuanian capital. LRT.lt photojournalists Benas Gerdžiūnas, Domantas Umbrasas, Edvard Blaževič and Justinas Stacevičius were there to capture it all.
Over a thousand journalists from all over the world have been accredited to cover the NATO summit. Over 100 media staff came from South Korea alone. | J. Stacevičiaus / LRT nuotr.
A German journalist fights for a place at the ad-hoc press conference given by Pistorius. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
The video editing booths at the summit. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
Members of the general public and the press gather on the tarmac of the Vilnius airport for the arrival of POTUS Joe Biden. | D. Umbraso / LRT nuotr.
Journalists crowd an impromptu press conference given by the Ukrainian defence minister, Oleksii Reznikov. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
The sun-baked courtyard of the enclosed Litexpo centre. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis speaks to journalists on the sidelines of the summit. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
Inside the media hall, impromptu press conferences and off-record briefings take place in the backdrop of the ongoing official ceremonies and meetings. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
Reporters wait for a press conference as long days begin to take their toll. | J. Stacevičiaus / LRT nuotr.
Delegations and the press gather at the press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg where he would announce the pledges given to Ukraine. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
Hundreds of journalists wait for the shuttle buses to and from the Litexpo centre as police keep watch in the closed street. | J. Stacevičiaus / LRT nuotr.
A cleaner prepares the red carpet for the arrival of NATO leaders. | E. Blažio / LRT nuotr.
People in Vilnius attend a pro-Ukraine rally in the run-up to the summit. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
Guards keep watch from the top of the Kempinski Hotel where Joe Biden was staying. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
Birds fly around crowds gathered around the Kempinski Hotel where US President Joe Biden was staying. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
Most of the streets in Vilnius emptied as people worked remotely or left the city altogether. Soldiers took their place. | D. Umbraso / LRT nuotr.
Lithuania’s Armed Forces deployed heavy equipment around the summit’s location, as well as hundreds of troops spread across the capital. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
A member of the Riflemen’s Union, a paramilitary organisation subordinate to the government, assists the border guards on the country’s border with Belarus. Weeks ago, Moscow and Minsk announced that some of the rebellious Wagner mercenaries would be based in Belarus. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
A clean-up operation continues at the Litexpo centre after the summit. | D. Umbraso / LRT nuotr.
A Ukrainian activist argues with a Western journalist, pleading with him to speak to NATO leaders in advocating for Ukraine’s admission into the alliance. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to mass crowds gathered at the central Lukiškės Square in Vilnius. However, Ukraine was not offered a clear path to joining NATO and becoming the alliance’s 33rd member following the inclusion of Finland and Sweden. | B. Gerdžiūnas/LRT
