That would mean the alliance itself would be at war, and leaders won't go that far.
But by the end, after one-on-one meetings with U.S. President Joe Biden and other NATO leaders, Zelenskiy had softened his tone, describing the outcome as "good", though not "ideal".
"It is very important: for the first time since independence, we have formed a security foundation for Ukraine on its way to NATO," Zelenskiy said, adding there had also been "a good reinforcement with weapons."
On the summit's sidelines, Group of Seven countries unveiled an international framework to boost Ukraine's long-term security against Russia.
A slew of other military packages were announced at bilateral meetings between Zelenskiy and NATO leaders.
Persons:
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Neil Melvin, Biden, Putin, craven, Melvin, Mykhailo Podolyak, Olha Stefanishyna, Andriy Zagorodnyuk, Tom Balmforth, Sabine Siebold, Andrew Gray, Anna Dabrowska
Organizations:
NATO, Russia, Kyiv, U.S, Ukraine Council, London, Royal United Services Institute, Reuters, Eastern, Ukraine, Thomson
Locations:
Ukrainian, Vilnius, Ukraine, U.S, Russia, Kyiv, NATO, Zelenskiy, Moscow, United States, Germany, Bucharest, Reuters Ukraine