The alliance’s leaders are concerned that Russia is gaining an edge, but are unsure whether to allow Ukraine to hit back beyond its borders.
NATO’s foreign ministers met to discuss whether to allow Ukraine to use their weapons to launch strikes on Russian territory.
The two-day gathering in Prague focused on the question of potentially lifting restrictions that have so far limited Ukraine’s ability to inflict damage across the Russian border.
So far the West has refrained from allowing its weapons to be used for that purpose for fear of escalating the conflict into a wider war with Russia, but the issue is increasingly divisive.
Unlike Germany or the US, French president Emmanuel Macron has vocally supported lifting the restrictions, and has even refused to rule out sending French troops to Ukraine.
His longtime rival and far-right leader Marine le Pen warned against the potential consequences of such a move.
At the meeting, the NATO foreign ministers will also tackle the question of who should become the organisation’s next secretary general. Jens Stoltenberg is due to step down in October after four extensions to his term.
Long-serving Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte is tipped as the most likely successor.
