Vilnius | A summit of NATO leaders stopped short of offering Ukraine a clear path and timetable to join the trans-Atlantic military alliance, leaving President Volodymyr Zelensky and his eastern European cheerleaders frustrated and disappointed.

In a communique after the first day of their summit, the 31 leaders declared that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO”, and waived the need for the country to jump through the difficult hoop of a so-called “membership action plan”.