Rishi Sunak says Ukraine 'belongs' to NATO after Zelensky slams 'absurd' delays

The Prime Minister asked his officials to leave the room so that he and the Ukrainian President could have private one-on-one talks

Rishi Sunak and Volodymyr Zelensky spoke on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Lithuania (

Image: Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak told Volodymr Zelensky that Ukraine 'belongs' to NATO as the two men had private talks on the sidelines of a critical summit.

Their meeting came a day after Ukraine's president angrily lambasted the alliance for "absurd" delays in Ukraine's bid for membership.

The prime minister and leading hero met on the sidelines of the coalition summit in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, 24 hours after Mr Zelensky's furious rebuke to NATO chiefs.

The two men asked their advisers to leave the room so that they could speak in private.

As No10 aides mill around the wooden table, Mr Sunak, dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and thin purple tie, said to them:

Actually, guys, do you just want to leave it to us?"

The duo asked their assistants to leave the room (

Picture:

POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Turning to Mr. Zelensky, he said, "Are we just going to spend time alone, one-on-one?"

The president, dressed in military khaki, agreed and sent his officials out of the room.

Mr. Sunak pointedly said to Mr. Zelensky, "Good to see you here in Vilnius, where you belong. We have made very good progress."

The Ukrainian leader replied: "This is very good news, we will be successful with security guarantees.

"I think it's important."

Mr. Sunak told the President, "What your soldiers are doing on the front line is an inspiration to everyone.

"We are proud to have participated in the training of some of them.

"They served with tremendous bravery and courage."

Following the talks, Mr. Zelensky tweeted: "We discussed Ukraine's defense needs, continued cooperation to expand the capabilities of the Ukrainian army on the battlefield, in particular through long-range weapons and, in the future, modern Western aviation. I am grateful to the Prime Minister and the United Kingdom for supporting Ukraine's NATO membership and for having contributed to providing Ukraine with effective security guarantees for the period preceding its accession to the Alliance.

"I'm special...