The NATO summit in Vilnius showed that the NATO "alliance has finally returned to the schemes of the Cold War," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

"NATO consistently lowers the threshold for the use of force and strengthens the nuclear component in military planning," the statement added.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also noted NATO countries "promised to continue supplying more and more long-range weapons to Kyiv," saying they are doing so in order to "prolong the conflict."

-ABC News' Tanya Stukalova

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he received assurances that Ukraine will become a member of NATO and told reporters he believes it will happen "as soon as the security situation is stabilized," when answering questions after the conclusion of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Wednesday.

When asked what Zelenskyy got out of the summit, he said he received "support from the leaders and an unambiguous statement that Ukraine will be in NATO."

"I believe that we will be in NATO as soon as the security situation is stabilized. In simple terms, the moment the war is over, Ukraine will definitely be invited to join NATO and Ukraine will definitely become a member of the alliance. I have not heard any other opinion today," Zelenskyy said.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

Wagner forces are turning over weapons and military equipment to the Russian Armed Forces, the country's defense ministry said Wednesday.

More than 2,000 pieces of equipment and weapons were transferred to the Russian Armed Forces from Wagner forces, including hundreds of tanks, air defense systems, self-propelled artillery mounts, armored personnel carriers and more, the defense ministry said.

Among the equipment, dozens of units have never been used in combat before.

Russian forces also received more than 2,500 tons of various ammunition and about 20,000 small arms, the defense ministry said.

Separately, the Belarusian Interior Ministry has "begun talks seeking to invite Wagner Group members to train its troops," Interfax, a Russian news agency, reported Wednesday.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his in-person meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in Lithuania’s capital on Wednesday was "very good" and "powerful."

Zelenskyy took to Twitter after their meeting ended in Vilnius, saying it lasted "twice as long as planned" and "was as meaningful as it needed to be."

"If the protocol had not stopped the meeting, we would have talked even longer," he tweeted.

Zelenskyy said their meeting covered "all the topics," including long-term support for Ukraine, weapons, politics and NATO membership.

"We clearly see how to end this war with our common victory," he added. "Thank you, Mr. President!"

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made his first public comments since last month’s failed rebellion led by Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is actively engaged with his commanders
Shoigu said that Putin listens to "very detailed reports" twice a day and "all commanders on all levels understand and feel all the weight of responsibility that was placed on them."

"They carry out their responsibilities with great pride," he said.

Shoigu claimed that Ukraine hasn't achieved any of its goals in its counteroffensive. The defense minster added that Russia may be using cluster munitions following the announcement that Ukraine will be receiving similar weapons from the U.S.

"If the United States supplies cluster munitions to Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces will be forced to use similar weapons against the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a response," he said.

-ABC News' Natalia Shumskaia, Ellie Kaufman and Will Gretsky