Ukraine's future in NATO is up in the air, leaving neither Putin nor Zelenskyy happy. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has expressed frustration and disappointment over NATO's timeline for Ukraine's membership. "It's unprecedented and absurd when time frame is not set neither for the invitation nor for Ukraine's membership. "No Russian leader could stand idly by in the face of steps toward NATO membership for Ukraine. And although Zelenskyy softened his criticism of the alliance's membership plans by the end of the summit, the war is dragging on — and Ukraine's NATO future is murky.

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