"Has Ukraine not paid enough (to join NATO)?" Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked leaders of the military alliance as they met.
In a dig at the lack of a clear pathway to join the alliance, Zelensky used the analogy of the Kyiv metro system turnstiles, which are always open until you approach them and then they ask you to pay.
"We need security guarantees, and you need to find a place for Ukraine in the common security space," he added.
The president, dressed in his now famous military fatigues, also called for NATO to “revise” how it views its eastern flank.
"It is possible to get rid of the 'gray' zone, to guarantee security only together with Ukraine," he said.