Accompanied by his wife Olena and his Lithuanian counterpart, the Ukrainian leader may well have found inspiring the crowd in Lukiskes Square the easiest part of his day.

The NATO leaders meeting at a nearby summit were wrangling over how to soften the blow of disappointing Ukraine in its quest for an invitation to join the alliance.

But the Lithuanian public -- and Ukrainian exiles sheltering in the friendly ally -- were easier to win over, sympathetic to a friend facing a brutal Russian invasion.

"Slava Ukraini!" he bellowed, "Glory to Ukraine".

Zelensky's arrival had not been announced very far in advance -- his movements are still restricted for security reasons.

But after 16 months of war, and intense media coverage, the Ukrainian leader was unmistakable in his trademark dark sweatshirt and military-style khakis.

"Today I embarked on a trip here with faith in decisions, with faith in partners, with faith in a strong NATO," he said pointedly.

"In a NATO that does not hesitate, does not waste time... And I would like this faith to become confidence... And is that too much to expect?"

The event was dubbed "Raising the Flag for Ukraine in NATO" and the Lithuanian crowd was all behind the idea of getting another foe of Moscow into the alliance.

- 'More than a rock star' -

"NATO will give Ukraine security. Ukraine will make the alliance stronger," Zelensky declared, to cheers and, in some cases, emotional tears.

"I am almost 50, but I felt like a student. I was shouting, screaming like I saw a rock star," said Asta Ivanauskiene, a 47-tear-old public opinion researcher.

"He is more than a rock star," she told AFP, amid a crowd several thousand strong.

Lithuania has been independent since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1990, after what its government sees as seven decades of illegal Russian occupation.

Ukraine declared independence in 1991 but was partly occupied by Moscow-backed forces in 2014 and since February last year has been battling an all-out Russian invasion.

Lithuania has been able to join NATO and the European Union, seeing them as guarantors of its freedom -- Ukraine is now seeking the same protection.

Daiva Malikoniene, 50, and her 26-year-old daughter Gabija turned out an hour and a half before Zelensky appeared, and did not mind the wait.

"We also fought for our independence in the 1990s, it feels like deja vu," Daiva said.

"Russia maybe wants to return to days of the Soviet Union. We are very lucky, if we didn't belong to NATO and the EU, we would be the first" to be targeted.

Her daughter agreed. "We feel Ukraine also fights for our freedom. Lithuanian people feel we need to help Ukraine, to donate. We don't want occupation to happen again," she said.

- 'Know in our blood' -

Larger Ukrainian banners were sold out, but the pair had paper flags.

Also in the crowd, an emotional Ieva Vasiliauskaite hid her tears behind her sunglasses.

"We really support Ukraine joining NATO," she said, "Because they deserve it, because they are having a war for everyone, not just for Ukraine but for the Baltics, for the whole of Europe.

"We know what it's like because we've been occupied," she said. "Maybe not everyone in the West knows that, for example in France, the United Kingdom but in the Baltics, Poland, we know in our blood, we feel it."

At the symbolic high point of proceedings another Ukrainian flag was presented, this one brought by a relay team of runners from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, scene of the longest and bloodiest battle of the war so far.

As it was raised a singer launched into the national anthem: "Ukraine is not dead yet."