Over the course of NATO’s annual summit, Volodmyr Zelensky’s disappointment has been palpable. The Ukrainian leader arrived at the two-day gathering in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week in the hopes (far-fetched though they might have been) that the military alliance might finally put forward a timeline—if not a formal invitation—for Ukrainian membership. Instead, Zelensky was met with warm words from allies, who expressed their view that while Ukraine’s future is in NATO, it is not yet ready for accession—at least not as long as the war is underway.