The alliance added Sweden, laid out new ambitions for itself and offered long-term support for Ukraine, promising membership someday. But Kyiv wanted more.
NATO had some significant successes at its summit that ended Wednesday as it worked hard to project unity in support of Ukraine’s bloody defense against Russia’s invasion.
Turkey lifted its objections to Sweden’s membership. The alliance approved new spending goals and its most ambitious military plans for Europe’s defense since the Cold War. There were new commitments for long-term support for Kyiv. And all 31 member states agreed that Ukraine belongs in NATO, a significant shift stemming from its brave, resilient defense of its country and of Western values.
Even so, the summit’s final communiqué, with its ambiguous diplomatic language, does not disguise some serious strains among alliance members in the bitter fight over how to describe Ukraine’s path toward NATO membership. Ukraine was promised an invitation “when allies agree and conditions are met,” leaving both the timing and the conditions safely unsaid.
President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and his most vocal Central European supporters wanted more, and made it loud and clear.
Mr. Zelensky has never pushed for Ukrainian NATO membership while the war is raging, nor has anyone else. But he was angry about NATO putting conditions on even inviting Ukraine to apply for membership. He posted a furious Twitter message on Tuesday when confronted with the draft language of the communiqué that infuriated the Americans, a NATO-country official said.
While he softened his public language on Wednesday, even Tuesday night he was threatening not to appear at the first session of a NATO-Ukraine Council, the official said.
He and his supporters were not alone in their disappointment. John Kornblum, an experienced diplomat and former American ambassador to Germany, now retired, was especially harsh. He called the communiqué confused and weak.
“It screams fear and insecurity from every word,” Mr. Kornblum said. “Ukraine’s future is with NATO, fine. But please don’t ask when or how NATO entry will happen. Just make some (unidentified) reforms and we shall see.”
After the summit, President Emmanuel Macron of France said it was “legitimate for the Ukrainian president to be demanding with us, because he is fighting on the ground.” But he said, “We did what we needed to do, and we did it by keeping the allies united.”
The summit had delivered concrete short- and long-term military aid for Ukraine, he insisted, and had “made it very clear that the path to NATO was there.
