NATO's eastern flank expects upgraded Ukraine ties at Vilnius summit

FILE PHOTO: A NATO flag flutters at the Tapa military base, Estonia April 30, 2023. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins

(Reuters) - Members of NATO's eastern flank expect the military alliance's July summit in Vilnius will set Ukraine on a clearer path to membership, once its war with Russia ends, the countries said at a summit in Bratislava on Tuesday.

NATO allies have squabbled over the speed of Ukraine's eventual accession to the alliance, and Kyiv itself acknowledges it cannot come until its war following Russia's invasion ends.