Mixed outcomes from Nato summit

The just-concluded Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, will probably be remembered for what was not achieved as much as what was. Finland was inducted as a member, but Ukraine, which had been hoping to receive a formal invitation to join Nato, has been given no unambiguous pathway to the membership that has been dangled before it since 2008. The United States and Germany made clear that membership, and the collective defensive commitments that come with it, are not on the table for now. Separately, the summit communique made no mention of Nato opening a liaison office in Tokyo, as flagged earlier in 2023 by its headquarters.

Caution on the Ukraine issue is understandable. To make the country a Nato member while the war with Russia is ongoing would be to instantly drag the organisation into the conflict, which would bring unpredictable, and possibly catastrophic, consequences. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made his disappointment plain over the delay, this was indeed the prudent move on Nato’s part. Since the Ukrainian counter-offensive is floundering, however, this will only prolong the conflict and continued Ukrainian – and Russian – losses.