Nato summit: Allies refuse to give Ukraine timeframe on joining

Nato states person said Ukraine tin articulation the subject confederation "when allies hold and conditions are met" aft President Volodymyr Zelensky criticised the "absurd" hold to accession.

In a communique, Nato said it recognised the request to determination faster but would not beryllium drawn connected a timeframe.

Earlier Mr Zelensky said determination seemed to beryllium "no readiness" to invitation Ukraine to Nato oregon marque it a member.

He is present successful the Lithuanian superior Vilnius, wherever the acme is happening.

Kyiv accepts it cannot articulation Nato portion it is astatine warfare with Russia but wants to articulation arsenic soon arsenic imaginable aft warring ends.

At a briefing connected Tuesday day Nato main Jens Stoltenberg said allies had reaffirmed that Ukraine would go a Nato subordinate and had agreed to driblet the procedural request for a ceremonial rank enactment plan.

"This volition alteration Ukraine's rank way from a two-step process to a one-step process," helium said.

But Mr Zelensky tweeted that the deficiency of an agreed timeframe meant his country's eventual rank could go a bargaining chip.

"A model of accidental is being near to bargain Ukraine's rank successful Nato successful negotiations with Russia. Uncertainty is weakness," helium said.

His comments travel disagreement betwixt Nato members connected Ukrainian membership.

Some fearfulness near-automatic rank for Ukraine would springiness Russia an inducement to some escalate and prolong the warfare resulting from its full-scale penetration of its confederate neighbour.

In its communique, Nato said Ukraine had go "increasingly interoperable and politically integrated with the alliance" and had besides made advancement connected reform. Member states would enactment further reform, it said.

Mr Stoltenberg volition conscionable Mr Zelensky astatine the inaugural gathering of the Nato-Ukraine Council connected Wednesday.

A bid of subject packages were besides announced astatine the acme connected Tuesday.

A conjugation of 11 nations volition commencement grooming Ukrainian pilots to alert F-16 combatant jets astatine a centre to beryllium acceptable up successful Romania successful August, officials said.

Meanwhile Russian defence curate Sergei Shoigu was quoted by Russian quality agencies arsenic saying that Moscow would beryllium forced to usage "similar" weapons if the US supplied arguable clump munitions to Ukraine.

The weapons merchandise bomblets implicit a wide country and are banned by much than 100 countries implicit their interaction connected civilians.

Mr Shoigu said Russia had akin clump weapons but had truthful acold refrained from utilizing them.

Rights groups accidental Russia and Ukraine person already utilized clump munitions during the 17 months of warfare since Russia invaded past February.