Ukraine appeals to NATO chief for membership and more arms

FILE PHOTO: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg makes a joint statement with U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken (not in picture) during the NATO foreign ministers' meeting at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium April 4, 2023. REUTERS/Johanna Geron

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy told visiting NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday it was time for the military alliance to offer his country membership and that Kyiv needed more weapons to fight Russia.

Zelenskiy made his comments at a joint news conference after talks with Stoltenberg, who offered NATO's solidarity with Ukraine on his first trip to Kyiv since Russia's full-scale invasion nearly 14 months ago.