Before the summit in Vilnius in July 2023, not only the Ukrainian society, but also Ukraine’s leadership had inflated expectations regarding its results. To a country resisting Russian armed aggression, it seemed that if not immediate membership, at least an invitation to join the alliance might be in the cards. But the only thing Ukraine got in 2023 was the removal of the Membership Action Plan as a prerequisite for joining the alliance. At the time, we didn’t see any specifics that could indicate a consensus among the allies regarding Ukraine’s membership. And perhaps that’s why the Ukrainia…