VILNIUS, Lithuania – Coming out of the annual summit for NATO leaders – which began with unexpected tension but ended on a note of unity – President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to agree: Ukraine’s participation of NATO will come only after the war. . At the start of the summit, Zelensky campaigned for Ukraine to be invited to join the military alliance. That request was ultimately not granted, although early Wednesday, the Group of Seven countries – Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Britain and the United States – issued a joint declaration of “unwavering” support for Ukraine. Individually, NATO leaders have also offered security assurances to Kyiv and additional funding.
