Vilnius: At their summit on Tuesday, NATO leaders will discuss Ukraine's aspirations to join the organisation. Sweden's progress towards joining the alliance has given them more confidence in their ability to take on Russia.
As NATO leaders gathered in Lithuania, a country that was once occupied by Moscow and is located on NATO's eastern flank, German Patriot missile systems and French fighter jets were keeping an eye on the skies.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, is anticipated to travel to Vilnius for the two-day summit to argue that Kyiv has a right to join after the Kremlin's invasion is over.
"Ukraine merits membership in the coalition. We need a clear signal, but not right now because there is a war, Zelensky said in Kyiv on the eve of the summit.
The Western military alliance is prepared to give Kyiv its full support in its fight for victory, but its 31 members disagree on how far to go in allowing Ukraine to join their ranks.
Although Ukraine's neighbours have pushed for a specific timeline, world powers like the United States and Germany are hesitant to go beyond a previous promise that it will join the club eventually.
There is no agreement to grant Kyiv membership while its war with Russia rages, according to US President Joe Biden, who will meet with Zelensky on Wednesday. Doing so would draw NATO directly into the conflict.
According to Biden on CNN, there is "I don't think unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now."
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But by delaying its eventual accession bid and removing a demand that it finish a formal road map of reforms, the alliance is giving Kyiv a break.
According to White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the alliance will map out the reforms Ukraine must make in order to eventually join, but it won't provide a "timetable" for doing so.
The dominant powers of the United States, Britain, France, and Germany are negotiating long-term commitments on weapon supplies with Kiev as Ukraine engages in a punishing counteroffensive.
These don't even come close to fulfilling Zelensky's desire to be covered by NATO's collective defence umbrella, but they might reassure him that his country can continue to fight.
One option is to create a deal akin to the one the US has with Israel, under which the US will send $3.8 billion worth of weapons to Israel every year for the next ten years.
Russian officials reportedly targeted Kyiv and the western port city of Odesa in an overnight drone attack, according to Ukrainian officials early on Tuesday. The interior ministry reported that drone wreckage had been found in the Kyiv region and that some windows and outbuildings had been damaged, but that there was no immediate word on casualties.
Since the end of the Cold War, NATO's defences have undergone the most extensive overhaul as a result of the largest war in Europe since World War II.
To defend against any potential Russian attack, alliance leaders should approve fresh regional plans and resolve to raise defence spending goals.
But for now, some consider allowing Ukraine in to be a step too far.
In an effort to persuade Ukraine that progress is being made, diplomats have been arguing over the precise wording of the final communique right up until the last minute.
By promising Ukraine membership in 2008 but failing to deliver any results, NATO left Ukraine in a limbo.
The Kremlin leader was incensed by Kyiv's efforts to join the Western bloc and used this as a pretext to justify his war.
But after more than 500 days of fighting, Putin is up against a stronger NATO presence positioned to oppose Russia.
After lengthy negotiations, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan decided to submit Sweden's NATO membership application for approval to his parliament, breaking months of impasse.
A "historic day" that should help Sweden become the second new member since Finland joined in April was hailed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Sweden's application to join the Atlantic alliance has been stalled by Turkiye, which accuses Stockholm of harbouring Kurdish activists who Ankara views as terrorists.
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Erdogan raised the stakes even higher by insisting that Sweden join NATO only if Turkey's dormant EU membership bid is revived.
Stockholm announced in a statement that it will now "actively support" efforts to revive Turkey's long-stalled EU accession process.
Hungary has not yet approved it either, despite Prime Minister Viktor Orban's administration's assurances that it won't be the last to do so and indications that it will do so soon.
