Zelensky pushes for EU and NATO membership at a meeting of European leaders in Moldova.

NATO should decide this year whether to admit Ukraine as a member, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than 15 months ago has added urgency to the country’s September application to join NATO, a body that will hold a summit next month in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius.

The Kiev government considers membership the ultimate guarantee of its security. While the United States and other NATO allies are backing the Kyiv government with billions of dollars in military aid, they have so far proved reluctant to take that step as it could put the alliance in direct conflict with Moscow.

“This year is for decisions,” Mr Zelensky said at the European Political Community summit in a castle outside the Moldovan capital. He spoke in English. “In the summer in Vilnius at the NATO summit, a clear invitation from members of Ukraine is needed, and security guarantees on the way to NATO membership.” His comments were reports Reuters.

Few expect concrete progress at the one-day summit of 47 leaders.

But the meeting – a forum for nearly all European leaders – was designed to demonstrate Western solidarity, despite the Kremlin’s calculation that political and economic fatigue would undermine support for Ukraine. Russia and its closest ally, Belarus, were not invited and Turkey’s newly re-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chose not to attend.

Estonian prime minister Kaja Kallas said the presence of so many leaders was “a signal that multilateralism really works, and also that we stand with Moldova and with Ukraine”. The West, she added, had to show President Vladimir V. Putin that he cannot wait for Ukraine and the West. “Once Putin realizes and Russia realizes they made a mistake with the war in Ukraine, the war will be over.”

Thursday’s meeting had a loose agenda and focused on issues such as promoting political dialogue and strengthening security, stability and prosperity, according to a description of the forum on a website of the European Union.

Some analysts have questioned its value, not least given the differences of opinion within Europe over the war. But others argue that while the European Political Community is new — the first meeting took place in October — it could provide opportunities for dialogue.

Arriving at the summit, Mr. Zelensky said that security guarantees were also important for Moldova. The war in Ukraine and its economic fallout have reverberated in the Eastern European country, which has taken in large numbers of Ukrainian refugees.

Moldova is under increasing pressure on its leadership, and this year President Maia Sandu accused Russia of overthrowing its government through protests organized by pro-Russian forces.

“I think security guarantees are very important, not only for Ukraine. For all neighbors,” Mr. Zelensky told reporters after meeting Ms. Sandu. “What is very important: our future in the EU and NATO,” he said. About a decade ago, Ukraine took some of its first steps towards membership of the European Union.

Mr. Zelensky, who spent the first months after the invasion in Kyiv demonstrating defiance, has traveled extensively in Europe in recent weeks and last month attended a summit of the leaders of the Group of 7 in Japan. In every forum he has pushed for more military and diplomatic support for his country.

However, Ukraine was not the only topic discussed at the summit.

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan would also meet at the summit in final talks over a long-running dispute over their common border and the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Discussions on the issue have also been held outside Washington and in Brussels in recent weeks.

Speaking ahead of the summit, Charles Michel, the president of the European Council who led the negotiations, said the two leaders had made “some progress and I hope today will be an opportunity to reaffirm the common political will to strengthen the relationship between the two countries,” according to a Reuters report.

Andrew Higgins reporting contributed.