Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever before, however Allies have once again failed to offer Kyiv a clear membership path, falling short of expectations from the majority of NATO member states on the Alliance’s eastern flank. At the same time, NATO dropped previously important formal application requirements, while the G7 launched a framework to offer Ukraine bilateral aid in the future, in addition to providing much-needed military and financial support.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s much-anticipated approval of Sweden’s NATO membership bid has made Ankara an even more influential player within the Alliance, with Türkiye likely to benefit from the decision both politically and economically. Furthermore, Stockholm’s future joining will make the Alliance stronger as a whole, much to the benefit of NATO’s eastern flank and the international companies present in the CEE region.

These are Aretera’s main takeaways from this week’s historic NATO Summit. Below, we unpack and analyze the main implications of the Vilnius Summit from a Central and Eastern European perspective.