'After the war, they will be a member': Russia’s neighbors back Ukraine's NATO bid at summit

The leaders of Europe's Baltic states connected Tuesday reiterated their enactment for Ukraine's expedited NATO rank bid, insisting that Kyiv should articulation the subject confederation arsenic soon arsenic its warfare with Russia is over.

Speaking connected the archetypal time of NATO's two-day summit, Latvia's Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš said that each allies were aligned connected the embattled state's eventual membership.

"Everyone is connected the aforesaid page: Ukraine volition beryllium successful NATO," Kariņš told CNBC's Steve Sedgwick.

"I'm convinced that aft the war, they volition beryllium a member," helium added.

Ukraine's accession to the confederation is 1 of the large topics connected the docket arsenic NATO members conscionable successful Vilnius, Lithuania this week.

But already Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has slammed arsenic "absurd" the deficiency of a circumstantial timeframe offered by allies for his country's invitation of membership.

"It looks similar determination is nary readiness either to invitation Ukraine to NATO oregon to marque it a subordinate of the Alliance," Zelenskyy said connected Telegram Tuesday, up of an expected quality astatine the summit.

It comes a time aft NATO dropped its Membership Action Plan (MAP) request for Ukraine — 1 of the large sticking points successful accession negotiations.

Estonia's Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that she "understands" Zelenskyy's frustration, but noted that nary advancement could beryllium made portion the warfare is ongoing.

"This is arsenic acold arsenic we tin get due to the fact that they are successful a war," she said.

However, the Estonian person — a fervent proponent of Kyiv's rank bid whose state besides shares a borderline with Russia — said that a model for accession could travel arsenic soon arsenic Russian troops are pushed backmost from Ukrainian soil.

"When the infinitesimal comes erstwhile they are capable to support themselves truthful that Russia is pushed backmost to Russia, the accidental model is there. Then, the rank tin happen," Kallas added.

NATO's enlargement has agelong been a constituent of contention for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who claims Kyiv's accession would airs a menace to Moscow's nationalist security.