Leaders of Nato were seeking a face-saving compromise on Monday night over the organisation’s possible enlargement after Germany insisted it was “not the right time” to allow Ukraine and Georgia to take a significant step towards membership.

As Nato prepares to convene for its annual summit in Bucharest on Wednesday, Angela Merkel’s government made clear that it would veto a US drive to allow both former Soviet republics to join the defence alliance’s membership action plan (Map).