Furious Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky blasted NATO’s "unprecedented and absurd" refusal to give Kyiv a timetable for joining the alliance.
The hero leader is due to hold showdown talks with coalition leaders at their summit in Lithuanian capital Vilnius tomorrow while battle rages in his homeland.
He wants a clear expectation of when his war-torn country can sign-up to the Western military pact. But his hopes are expected to be dashed with some countries instead providing “security assurances”.
Speaking as he travelled to Lithuania, Mr Zelensky said: "It's unprecedented and absurd when a time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership. While at the same time vague wording about 'conditions' is added even for inviting Ukraine.
"It seems there is no readiness neither to invite Ukraine to NATO nor to make it a member of the alliance."
Kyiv applied for a fast-tracked membership last September. But under NATO rules it cannot join while at war - and some nations want it to implement political reforms before membership can be considered.
Mr Zelensky fumed: “Uncertainty is weakness, and I will openly discuss this at the summit.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said NATO had agreed Kyiv would not need a “membership action plan," a decision he insisted “shortens our path to NATO.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg pledged Ukraine would get "a clear message, a positive message" on membership.
He added: “Ukraine is much closer to NATO so I think the time has come to reflect that in other NATO decisions.”
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Rishi Sunak urged allies to show “demonstrable progress” on Ukraine joining the coalition.
The Prime Minister called on leaders to show Kyiv’s bid had moved forward since the organisation first agreed in principle in Bucharest in 2008 that Ukraine could one day join.
Speaking as he flew to Vilnius, he told reporters: “We’ve always said Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO. We stand by the language of 2008 Bucharest and I think what’s important at this summit is that commitment is reaffirmed but also there is demonstrable progress towards that goal - and I think that’s what you will see.”
Asked if British support for Ukraine would be maintained if the war goes on for another five to 10 years, the PM insisted: “We are with Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
A huge security operation is underway in Lithuania to protect NATO leaders. Warships patrolled the Baltic Sea and alliance spy planes flew sorties as leaders descended on Vilnius.
The capital is just 20 miles from the frontier with Russia ’s key regional ally Belarus, while Lithuania also borders the tiny Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Coalition vessels stationed offshore included the German frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern; the Latvian command and support ship, Virsaitis; and the Lithuanian naval patrol boat Dzukas.
Aircraft patrolling the skies this week include an RAF RC-135 Rivet Joint based at RAF Waddington, Lincs; an E-3A Sentry based at Geilenkirchen in Germany; and a KC-135R Stratotanker air-to-air refuelling tanker from the US Air Force; and a Netherlands RAF A330 refuelling tanker.
