Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky lashed out at NATO on Tuesday for its “unprecedented and absurd” lack of a timetable for when his country will be formally invited to become a member of the military alliance.
The question of when—if at all—Ukraine will be allowed to join hangs over this week’s NATO summit in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. With Russia still bringing death and devastation to Zelensky’s homeland, he believes there is no time to lose.
In an excoriating statement on Twitter on Tuesday, Zelensky said Ukraine values its international allies but said his country “also deserves respect.” “Now, on the way to Vilnius, we received signals that certain wording is being discussed without Ukraine,” he wrote. “And I would like to emphasize that this wording is about the invitation to become a NATO member, not about Ukraine’s membership.”