NATO Divided on Ukraine's Membership Ahead of Vilnius Summit

NATO nations are in discussions to determine Ukraine's path towards joining the alliance, with member states divided over how quickly Kyiv should be brought under the transatlantic security shield. While Eastern European nations are pushing for concrete steps towards membership, the United States and some Western European nations advocate smaller steps that could include a bureaucratic upgrade to a NATO-Ukraine body or a decision to further expand NATO’s technical support to Ukraine’s defense sector. Despite advocacy from Kyiv, NATO will not issue Ukraine a formal invitation to join at the upcoming Vilnius Summit.