Nato must look beyond the war in Ukraine to overcome east-west divisions | Katrina vanden Heuvel and James W Carden

The alliance must think about more than the narrow parameters of the battlefield and lay the foundations of a sovereign and prosperous Ukraine

The forthcoming Nato summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, will present the alliance with a series of questions that will require judicious and responsible statesmanship in light of the recent upheaval in Russia and the ongoing, grinding war of attrition in Ukraine.

As of now, it appears that the overwhelming sentiment among key political and military leaders and western media is to take advantage of what they view as the weakened position of the Russian government and its leader, Vladimir Putin, in the wake of the failed coup attempt by the Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.

States which have ethnic disputes or external territorial disputes, including irredentist claims, or internal jurisdictional disputes must settle those disputes by peaceful means in accordance with OSCE principles. Resolution of such disputes would be a factor in determining whether to invite a state to join the Alliance.

Katrina vanden Heuvel is editorial director and publisher of the Nation

James W Carden is a journalist and former adviser to the US state department