Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has welcomed the long-term security guarantees from the leaders of the Group of Seven nations.

Zelenskyy took part in the NATO summit in Lithuania that ended on Wednesday without starting procedures for Ukraine's membership in the alliance, nor presenting a timeline for doing so.

The G7 nations issued a joint declaration on the sidelines of the summit. They pledged long-term support for Ukraine, including ensuring a sustainable force capable of deterring Russian aggression in the future.

Zelenskyy responded with a video message.

He said, "For the first time since our independence, we have established a foundation of security for Ukraine on its path to NATO."

He added, "These are concrete security guarantees confirmed by the world's top seven democracies."

Reuters and other news outlets report that Ukraine's capital Kyiv came under drone attack for the third consecutive night before dawn on Thursday. One person was killed and at least four others were injured.

The Russian drone attacks, timed to coincide with the NATO summit, are seen as an attempt to dissuade the alliance from providing additional military support to Ukraine.