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United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday hailed an agreement for Sweden to join NATO as more work remained to determine a path forward for Ukraine鈥檚 future with the alliance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized as 鈥渁bsurd鈥� the absence of a timetable for his country鈥檚 entry.

Mr. Biden described the summit as a 鈥渉istoric moment鈥� and said the United States agreed with a proposal, yet to be released publicly, to outline a path for Ukraine鈥檚 eventual membership.

However, Mr. Zelenskyy, who was on his way to Vilnius to join the summit, expressed disappointment with how the negotiations were playing out.

鈥淲e value our allies,鈥� he wrote on Twitter but added that 鈥淯kraine also deserves respect.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine鈥檚 membership,鈥� Mr. Zelenskyy said. He finished with, 鈥淯ncertainty is weakness. And I will openly discuss this at the summit.鈥�

A public flash of anger from the Ukrainian leader, who has been hailed by the West as a hero for his leadership during the Russian invasion, could renew tensions in Vilnius just as they had begun to subside.

On Monday evening, the night before the summit opened, Turkey withdrew its objections to Sweden joining the alliance, a step toward the unity that Western leaders have been eager to demonstrate in the face of Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine.

The deal was reached after days of intensive meetings, and it鈥檚 poised to expand the alliance鈥檚 strength in Northern Europe.

鈥淩umors of the death of NATO鈥檚 unity were greatly exaggerated,鈥� Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security adviser, told reporters triumphantly on Tuesday.

According to a joint statement issued when the deal was announced, Mr. Erdogan will ask Turkey鈥檚 parliament to approve Sweden joining NATO. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, another holdout, is expected to take a similar step. Hungary鈥檚 foreign minister said Tuesday that his country鈥檚 ratification of Sweden鈥檚 NATO membership was now just a 鈥渢echnical matter.鈥�

The outcome is a victory as well for Mr. Biden, as well, who has touted NATO鈥檚 expansion as an example of how Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine has backfired on Moscow. Finland has already become the 31st member of the alliance, and Sweden is on deck to become the 32nd. Both Nordic countries were historically nonaligned until the war increased fears of Russian aggression.

Because of the deal on Sweden鈥檚 membership, 鈥渢his summit is already historic before it has started,鈥� Mr. Stoltenberg said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that NATO鈥檚 expansion is 鈥渙ne of the reasons that led to the current situation.鈥�

鈥淚t looks like the Europeans don鈥檛 understand their mistake,鈥� Mr. Peskov said. He warned against putting Ukraine on a fast track for NATO membership.

鈥淧otentially it鈥檚 very dangerous for the European security, it carries very big risks,鈥� Mr. Peskov said.

Mr. Biden began Tuesday by meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, where he emphasized his commitment to transatlantic cooperation.

鈥淣othing happens here that doesn鈥檛 affect us,鈥� he told Mr. Nauseda. The White House said Mr. Nauseda presented Mr. Biden with the Order of Vytautas the Great, the highest award a Lithuanian president can bestow. Mr. Biden is the first U.S. president to receive it.

Mr. Biden and Mr. Erdogan were scheduled to meet Tuesday evening, and it was unclear how some of the Turkish president鈥檚 other demands will be resolved. He has been seeking advanced American fighter jets and a path toward membership in the European Union. The White House has expressed support for both, but publicly insisted that the issues were not related to Sweden鈥檚 membership in NATO.

鈥淚 stand ready to work with President Mr. Erdogan and Turkey on enhancing defense and deterrence in the Euro-Atlantic area,鈥� Mr. Biden said in a statement late Monday.

The phrasing was a nod to Mr. Biden鈥檚 commitment to help Turkey acquire new F-16 fighter jets, according to an administration official who was not authorized to comment publicly.

The Biden administration has backed Turkey鈥檚 desire to buy 40 new F-16s as well as modernization kits from the U.S. It鈥檚 a move some in Congress, most notably Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, D-N.J, have opposed over Turkey blocking NATO membership for Sweden, its human rights record and other concerns.

In Washington, Mr. Menendez said he was 鈥渃ontinuing to have my reservations鈥� on providing the fighter aircraft to Turkey. If the Biden administration could show that Turkey wouldn鈥檛 use the F-16s belligerently against other NATO members, particularly its neighbor Greece, and meet other conditions, 鈥渢hen there may be a way forward,鈥� Mr. Menendez told reporters.

NATO members are now focused on Ukraine鈥檚 desire to join NATO. The Baltic states 鈥� including Lithuania, which is hosting the event 鈥� have pushed for a strong show of support and a clear pathway toward membership for Ukraine.

The United States and Germany have resisted that, and Mr. Biden said last week that Ukraine wasn鈥檛 ready to join. Members of NATO, he told CNN, need to 鈥渕eet all the qualifications, from democratization to a whole range of other issues,鈥� a nod toward longstanding concerns about governance and corruption in Kyiv.

In addition, some fear that bringing Ukraine into NATO would serve more as a provocation to Russia than as a deterrence against aggression.

Mr. Stoltenberg wrote in Foreign Affairs on Monday that the alliance would 鈥渦pgrade our political ties鈥� by forming a NATO-Ukraine Council, which would be 鈥渁 platform for decisions and crisis consultation.鈥�

Mr. Zelenskyy is scheduled to attend the summit on Wednesday and meet with Mr. Biden.

NATO committed to eventual membership for Ukraine in 2008 under President George W. Bush, a goal Mr. Stoltenberg reiterated in Vilnius.

He said NATO had agreed to forgo requiring a 鈥渕embership action plan鈥� for Ukraine, but was not more specific.

鈥淯kraine is much closer to NATO so I think the time has come to reflect that in other NATO decisions,鈥� Mr. Stoltenberg said.

Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden鈥檚 national security adviser, said allies were debating the 鈥減recise nature鈥� of Ukraine鈥檚 pathway to membership. However, he promised that the summit would demonstrate how Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 hopes for fractures within NATO will be unfulfilled.

鈥淗e has been disappointed at every turn,鈥� Mr. Sullivan said. 鈥淰ilnius will very much disappoint him.鈥�

Mr. Biden is on a five-day trip to Europe, with the NATO summit as its centerpiece.

The president spent Monday in the United Kingdom, meeting at Windsor Castle with King Charles III and in London with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

After the summit ends on Wednesday, Mr. Biden will travel to Helsinki to celebrate Finland鈥檚 recent entry into NATO and meet with Nordic leaders.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.