Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a hero’s welcome at a concert in Lithuania’s capital where he arrived Tuesday to meet with NATO leaders. Instead of going straight to the military alliance’s summit in Vilnius, Zelenskyy stopped in the city’s downtown where thousands of people had gathered for a concert organized by civil society groups in support of Ukraine. Follow along for updates on the summit of the NATO military alliance in Lithuania’s capital, as reported by the Associated Press:
Zelenskyy gets hero’s welcome in Lithuania
Newslooks- VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy received a hero’s welcome at a concert in Lithuania’s capital where he arrived Tuesday to meet with NATO leaders.
Instead of going straight to the military alliance’s summit in Vilnius, Zelenskyy stopped in the city’s downtown where thousands of people had gathered for a concert organized by civil society groups in support of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy stepped onto the stage with his wife to loud cheers. When he opened his speech with the Ukrainian national salute “Glory to Ukraine!” the audience delivered back the traditional Ukrainian response “Glory to the heroes!”
The Ukrainian president, who was to meet with NATO leaders Wednesday, had earlier expressed deep frustration that the alliance was providing no firm timetable for when his country could join, calling that “absurd.” In his emotional speech in downtown Vilnius, Zelenskyy appealed for a clear pathway and timeline for Ukraine.
“Today I started my journey with faith in solutions, with faith in strong partners, with faith in NATO … in a NATO that does not hesitate, that does not waste time and does not look over their backs at any aggressor,” Zelenskyy said.
“I would like this faith to become confidence, confidence in the decisions that we deserve, all of us, every soldier, every citizen, every mother, every child,” he said. “Is that too much to ask?”
Zelenskyy later listened to a singer performing Ukraine’s national anthem. The crowd featured both Lithuanians and Ukrainians, some waving Ukrainian flags or carrying sunflowers – Ukraine’s national flower.
Ukrainian war refugee Dasha Boiko watched the event with her son and daughter.
“We came from Dnipro after our homes were destroyed and were met here with warmth and care,” she said. “Seeing our president speaking here in the square of this beautiful free country makes me believe that my homeland will prevail and will also be peaceful and free soon.”
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NATO allies pledged Tuesday to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on their national military budgets but set no timeframe for achieving the goal.
After Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, the organization agreed to halt spending cuts they had made after the Cold War and move toward spending 2% of GDP on defense within a decade.
At their summit in Lithuania, the leaders set that percentage as a floor, rather than a ceiling for spending. But only 11 of the 31 NATO member countries are likely to reach that goal this year, according to the alliance’s latest estimates.
In a summit statement, the leaders agreed that “in many cases, expenditure beyond 2% of GDP will be needed in order to remedy existing shortfalls and meet the requirements across all domains arising from a more contested security order.”
The United States has for years exhorted its allies to boost defense spending. Former President Donald Trump even threatened to abandon those countries that failed to boost their budgets, raising deep concern about the U.S. commitment to NATO’s collective security guarantee, which says that an attack on one ally will be considered an attack on them all.
The leaders also committed to spend at least 20% of their defense budgets “on major equipment, including related research and development.”
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Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas says NATO leaders made a “good compromise” on how to deal with Ukraine’s ambition to join the alliance though she understands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is disappointed.
Allies showed that “there’s a clear willingness to have Ukraine in NATO,” Kallas told The Associated Press on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius.
“Of course it takes time,” she said. “But when the conditions are met and the opportunity window opens for a short period of time, then we can move on with the membership.”
Zelenskyy said it was “absurd” to not even provide a timeline for when Ukraine can be invited.
“I understand the frustration of President Zelenskyy,” Kallas said, but added that “nobody wants this war to go any further than it is right now.”
Inviting Ukraine to join NATO before the war is over would essentially put the alliance in direct conflict with Russia.
“So what we are doing is supporting Ukraine with all the military aid we can give them so that they can defend themselves and push back Russia to Russia,” Kallas said. “And when Russia is in Russia, there is room for sustainable peace and also an opportunity window to join NATO.”
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A U.S. Senator says that the Biden administration is offering to provide Greece with some tactical weaponry amid concerns in Congress that Turkey — a longtime rival but fellow NATO member — will get too many concessions as Washington seeks its support for Sweden’s bid to join the alliance.
The proposal comes as the U.S. tries to coax Turkey — a key holdout in Sweden’s bid to join NATO — to green-light the Scandinavian country’s candidacy at the NATO summit in Lithuania on Tuesday.
Back in Washington, administration officials also were trying to appease concerns from some members of Congress who argue that Turkey’s human rights record and other concerns were reasons not to negotiate with Ankara.
Turkey has asked to buy 40 new F-16s from the United States as well as kits to upgrade its existing fleet. Both U.S. and Turkish officials have maintained any such sale isn’t linked to Sweden’s NATO bid.
The main roadblock came this week from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J, who said he continued to have reservations about approving the sale of fighter aircraft to Turkey.
In order to get Menendez on board, the U.S. offered to provide Greece with unspecified tactical weaponry to defend from any future Turkish incursion, according to a Democratic senator, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
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What to know:
— Turkey’s decision to end opposition to Sweden’s NATO membership boosts summit
— Sweden’s rocky road from neutrality toward NATO membership
— What is NATO doing to help Ukraine in the war with Russia?
— Ukraine, defense plans and Sweden’s membership top summit agenda
