VILNIUS, Lithuania — NATO had some important successes at its summit that ended Wednesday because it labored arduous to challenge unity in assist of Ukraine’s bloody protection in opposition to Russia’s invasion.

Turkey lifted its objections to Sweden’s membership. The alliance permitted new spending targets and its most bold navy plans for Europe’s protection for the reason that Cold War. There have been new commitments for long-term assist for Kyiv. And all 31 member states agreed that Ukraine belongs in NATO, a big shift stemming from its courageous, resilient protection of its nation and of Western values.

Even so, the summit’s remaining communiqué, with its ambiguous diplomatic language, doesn’t disguise some severe strains amongst alliance members within the bitter combat over how one can describe Ukraine’s path towards NATO membership. Ukraine was promised an invite “when allies agree and conditions are met,” leaving each the timing and the circumstances safely unsaid.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and his most vocal Central European supporters wished extra, and made it loud and clear.

Mr. Zelensky has by no means pushed for Ukrainian NATO membership whereas the struggle is raging, nor has anybody else. But he was offended about NATO placing circumstances on even inviting Ukraine to use for membership. He posted a livid Twitter message on Tuesday when confronted with the draft language of the communiqué that infuriated the Americans, a NATO-country official mentioned.

While he softened his public language on Wednesday, even Tuesday night time he was threatening to not seem on the first session of a NATO-Ukraine Council, the official mentioned.

He and his supporters weren’t alone of their disappointment. John Kornblum, an skilled diplomat and former American ambassador to Germany, now retired, was particularly harsh. He known as the communiqué confused and weak.

“It screams fear and insecurity from every word,” Mr. Kornblum mentioned. “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 mentioned it was “legitimate for the Ukrainian president to be demanding with us, because he is fighting on the ground.” But he mentioned, “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 navy help for Ukraine, he insisted, and had “made it very clear that the path to NATO was there.”

Others noticed “a failed opportunity,” as Michal Baranowski, a managing director of the German Marshall Fund, based mostly in Warsaw, described it. But, he mentioned, after so many months of struggle and so many billions of Western {dollars} and euros in weapons and funding, “Ukraine has never been closer to NATO.”

When Ukraine was initially promised membership in 2008, at a summit in Bucharest, that assertion was a option to cowl over deeper and lasting divisions, with Germany and France completely against Ukrainian membership then, whereas Washington wished to present Kyiv a transparent path to affix.

But now each nation agrees that Ukraine will be part of NATO, even when the trail and timing stay undefined.

The end in Vilnius was “not as weak as expected, but not as good as necessary,” mentioned François Heisbourg, a French protection analyst. Given the robust opposition of Germany and the United States to offering an in depth pathway for Ukraine, the assertion was about all that may very well be attained, he mentioned.

Still, “the conceptual and political course has been set,” he mentioned. “Ukraine will enter NATO. This will now happen, and that is a big cultural shift over the last month or so.”

Ben Wallace, Britain’s protection secretary, agreed. “I think the win here for Ukraine is the sort of cultural acceptance that Ukraine belongs in NATO,” he mentioned. No nation disagreed about that, he mentioned. “And the word ‘belongs’ implies it is going to happen. It’s not an if, it is a when.”

That acceptance got here from a shift in each American and French coverage, with President Biden keen to let Ukraine skip the preliminary Membership Action Program that each different post-Soviet nation needed to endure.

Mr. Macron himself, starting with a serious speech June 1 in Bratislava, has moved from opposition to Ukrainian membership to robust assist for it, partly attempting to rebuild relations with Central Europe and partly due to Ukraine’s resilience within the face of Russia’s brutal assault.

Ukraine does come away with important advantages, argued Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary basic. In addition to the clear promise of membership, extra guarantees of weapons and the power to skip the MAP, Kyiv’s relationship with NATO has been considerably upgraded with the NATO-Ukraine Council, the place Ukraine can sit as an equal and work to prepare for membership.

And on Wednesday, the Group of seven industrial nations issued a joint declaration pledging long-term safety help for Ukraine to bolster the besieged nation’s defenses throughout and after its struggle with Russia — and thru the following American presidential election, too.

The declaration lays the groundwork for particular person nations to barter their very own preparations with Ukraine for navy and monetary assist, whereas maintaining such commitments separate from NATO, which is raring to not appear to be a combatant within the struggle and feed Russia’s narrative that it’s defending itself in Ukraine in opposition to NATO.

The commitments are meant “to help Ukraine build a strong, capable defense,” President Biden mentioned, each now and after this battle ends, to make it unlikely that Russia would try to invade it once more earlier than Ukraine can enter NATO and its assure of collective protection.

Despite any friction right here, he praised Mr. Zelensky and Ukrainians, saying: “You set an example to the whole world when it comes to genuine courage. Not only all of you but your people — your sons, your daughters, your husbands, your wives, your friends: You’re incredible.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany mentioned the Group of seven’s association makes it potential for signatories to additional specify their concrete contributions to Ukraine and embed them “in a longer-term strategy which Ukraine can then rely on.”

Mr. Zelensky thanked Mr. Biden particularly and mentioned that these new commitments have been a “victory for Ukraine — for our country, for our people, for our children.”

But NATO additionally missed alternatives, argued Camille Grand, a former senior NATO official now with the European Council on Foreign Relations. It might have been extra exact about what Ukraine should do to change into a member when the battle ends, he mentioned.

For occasion, he mentioned, “it could have spelled out what the new NATO-Ukraine Council could do about it, and could have mandated it to work with Kyiv on a path to accession and report to the next NATO summit next year.”

Underneath the language is a extra vital dialogue NATO will need to have, he mentioned. When “conditions allow” means when the battle ends. But finish how, and in what place, is one other supply of inside alliance division, whilst NATO international locations hope the Ukrainian counteroffensive shall be a terrific success.

“There needs to be a more substantive conversation of what is the right moment to bring Ukraine in,” he mentioned. “Some allies say it means total peace, some say it means a lasting cease-fire, some say it means a stable line of control,” he mentioned. “But going there publicly is difficult, because you give Putin lines in the sand he can manipulate.”

Mr. Heisbourg agreed. Everyone accepts Ukraine can’t be part of throughout a struggle, so a date sure for accession is not possible. “But you could say what the timetable should be,” he mentioned. “And then describe the three or four milestones Ukraine must meet as part of the process.”

Lara Jakes contributed reporting.