A click from the NATO Summit at Vilnius, Lithuania has surfaced online where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is spotted standing alone while other delegates are busy networking and greeting each other. The picture shot at the family photograph ahead of the social dinner alleges that the President was left isolated amidst decisions over Ukraine joining NATO.
Was Zelensky left alone with other leaders refusing to indulge in a conversation with him? Despite a still from the international meeting spreading such an idea, the truth is unknown. Meanwhile, if one closely looks at the viral photo, we can see Zelensky's wife Olena Zelenska having walked a few steps apart from him to greet a female leader at the Summit.
Check viral photo below
When the two women exchanged a courteous handshake, the frame at the moment saw Zelensky standing alone, making people think that not many welcomed his presence there. Netizens began to tweet the picture and say, "Members of the US delegation in Brussels are angry with Volodymyr Zelensky because he has described NATO as an "unstable" Alliance."
In many other pictures from the gathering, along with the viral photo, Zelensky is spotted with his wife Olena. She also shares the stage with him during his speech at the NATO Summit.
Was he really left alone and ungreeted?
In counter to the claims revolving around the viral picture, Zelensky and Olena were clicked talking with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron upon arrival at the social dinner on Tuesday. Another image showed the Ukrainian President warmly greeting Lithuania President Gitanas Nauseda and his wife Diana Nausediene. One of the pictures from the event also showed Zelensky receiving a gentle hug from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Check images below
More about NATO Summit
NATO leaders prepared to provide Ukraine with more military assistance for fighting Russia but only vague assurances of future membership as the alliance's summit draws to a close on Wednesday.
A draft agreement states that Ukraine can join NATO "when allies agree and conditions are met." The ambiguous outcome reflects the challenges of reaching consensus among the alliance's current members while the war continues, and it is likely to leave Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unsatisfied.
Although Zelenskyy planned to attend the summit's final day, he has been sharply critical of what he described as NATO's "absurd" reluctance to set a timeline for his country's acceptance into the alliance.
