Zelenskyy defends use of cluster bombs, pushes for NATO membership, meets with Biden

VILNIUS, Lithuania − Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy defended his country's use of cluster munitions on Wednesday amid criticism from U.S. lawmakers, pledging at a NATO summit to use the weapons system responsibly.

Zelenskyy acknowledged that it posed a "challenge" in the U.S. and Congress for the Biden administration to send his country bombs that are banned by many other countries in the military alliance.

Russia is already deploying the bombs in Ukraine, he said, and he promised Kyiv would use the artillery only on military targets.

"It's not going to be used anywhere else," Zelenskyy said through a translator at a news conference. "It's all about fairness. We are defending ourselves."

The Ukrainian leader and President Joe Biden later held a high-stakes bilateral meeting as the Ukrainian leader sought additional firepower and looked to accelerate a NATO invitation.

“I hope we finally have put to bed the notion about whether or not Ukraine is welcome in NATO,” Biden told Zelenskyy as their meeting began. “It's going to happen. We’re all moving in the right direction. I think it's just a matter of getting by the next few months here.”

Biden capped the two-day NATO summit declaring that the U.S. and other allies "will not waver" in a speech that reaffirmed support for Ukraine despite disagreements on how quickly Ukraine should be allowed to join NATO.

"The defense of freedom is not the work of a day or a year. It's the calling of our lifetime – of all time. We are steeled for the struggle ahead," Biden said. "Our unity will not falter. I promise you.”

In addition to the cluster munitions, which are controversial because of the risk they pose to civilians, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs long-range weapons.

Biden agreed last week to provide Ukraine with the bombs that are banned by more than 100 countries. His administration has justified the decision that has come under criticism by human rights groups and lawmakers in Biden's political party with declarations that Ukraine is running low on ammunition.

Zelenskyy takes softer tone after blasting NATO's 'absurd' timeline

Zelenskyy was upbeat after his meeting with Biden, saying it went twice as long as planned and they "would have talked even longer" if they could have. "We clearly see how to end this war with our common victory," Zelenskyy said. 

The Ukrainian leader adopted a softer tone at the NATO summit Wednesday after previously calling it "unprecedented and absurd" for NATO not to agree to a concrete timeframe to invite Ukraine to join NATO.

He applauded NATO's decision to simplify Ukraine's path to membership and welcomed a Group of Seven announcement of new security guarantees and military aid, saying they sent a "very specific signal" of support for Ukraine's eventual membership in Ukraine.

“The results of the summit are good, but should we receive an invitation, they would be the optimum,” Zelenskyy said, later embracing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with a hug.

On the eve of the summit, Zelenskyy slammed the "vague" conditions for membership in the latest NATO statement.

"This means that there is still an opportunity to negotiate Ukraine's membership in NATO − in negotiations with Russia," Zelenskyy said Tuesday in a tweet. "And for Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror. Uncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit."

Zelenskyy spent Wednesday morning meeting with key allies in Vilnius, including the leaders of Germany, Canada and the U.K., and delivered remarks at a news conference alongside Stoltenberg.

Stoltenberg said Ukraine was "closer to NATO than ever before" as a result of the summit and hailed allies' consensus on membership as a "strong, united message from allies."

Among Zelenskyy's goals with joining NATO: eliminate membership as a bargaining chip at the negotiating table in any future peace talks with Russia.

Biden has expressed reluctance with inviting Ukraine to join NATO before the war is over, calling the discussion "premature" in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria ahead of the NATO summit. He pointed to "qualifications" Ukraine must first meet.

Sitting next to Zelenskyy on Wednesday, Biden scoffed at a question from a reporter who asked how long it should take Ukraine to be admitted into NATO.

“An hour and 20 minutes,” Biden joked.

The White House said Wednesday that Ukraine "still needs to make a number of reforms" in order to become a member.

"We recognize that Ukraine has already made significant progress in terms of reforms," Amanda Sloat, senior director for Europe at the National Security Council, said. "There is still the need for Ukraine to take further democratic and security sector reforms. The president has been clear that we think Ukraine can get there. But that is still going to be a requirement for Ukraine to join as it has been, frankly, for all members who have joined the alliance."

Caution over NATO membership for Ukraine

G-7 nations offered new long-term security guarantees to Ukraine on Wednesday.

"We’re going to help Ukraine build a strong, capable defense across land, air, and sea," Biden said at an event with Zelenskyy and G-7 leaders. "It will be a force of stability in the region and deter against any and all threats."

Some NATO allies are cautious about the implications of making Ukraine the alliance's 32nd member in the middle of Russia's war in Ukraine, recognizing that its addition could draw them closer to the conflict.

Stoltenberg stressed on Wednesday that NATO leaders would offer an membership invitation to Ukraine "when the allies agree that conditions are met."

"Today we meet as equals. I look forward to the day we meet as allies," Stoltenberg said.

The alliance announced a new multiyear assistance program to help Ukraine modernize its security and defense bases and bring them in line with NATO standards. The funding will also help Ukraine pay for critical needs such as fuel, demining equipment and medical supplies.

Allies also launched a NATO-Ukraine Council amid the summit and agreed to simplify the process for Ukraine to join NATO by removing a requirement for it to submit a so-called Membership Action Plan.

"This is a strong package for Ukraine and a clear path towards its membership in NATO," Stoltenberg said.

The White House said Wednesday that NATO had put forward a "very strong, forward leaning message that moves significantly beyond what has been said in the past" about Ukraine's membership path.

"I would agree that the communique is unprecedented, but I see that in a positive way," Sloat assessed.

Addressing Zelenskyy's criticisms at a Tuesday news conference, Stoltenberg similarly argued, "There has never been a stronger message from NATO at any time. Both when it comes to a political message on the path forward for membership, and the concrete support from NATO Allies; military support but also the practical support on how to ensure full interoperability.

"And if you look at all other membership processes," he continued, "there have not been timelines for those processes, they are conditions based, have always been."

Republican Sen. Pete Ricketts, one of several lawmakers participating in the summit in Vilnius, said that the first order of business is providing Kyiv with the weapons and support it needs to defeat Russia.

"Then there's certainly going to be a process for them to apply to become a NATO member. I think that there's consensus about having that initiation go to Ukraine at the appropriate time," the Nebraska senator said. "But frankly, first things first, which is: You've got to win the war."

Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison. Follow Francesca Chambers @fran_chambers.