**Ukraine Seeks NATO Membership Amid Uncertainty**
A Ukrainian delegation is attending the NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels, hoping to get an invitation to join the alliance. However, it seems unlikely that a consensus will be reached.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has urged members to send the invitation this week as a step towards peace. But the US and Germany continue to oppose inviting Ukraine at the moment. Hungarian and Slovak leaders have also opposed military aid to Ukraine and called for normalization with Russia, which makes them unlikely supporters of Ukraine’s NATO bid.
Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said that Ukraine’s accession would lead to renewed tensions, but he supports Ukraine joining the EU. Other countries like Belgium, Slovenia, and Spain are also against Ukraine joining NATO, although they are less vocal about it.
**Zelensky Offers Truce in Exchange for Membership**
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has suggested ending the “hot phase” of war along Ukraine’s eastern front in exchange for NATO membership. However, this would not immediately include occupied territories. Zelensky also said that NATO’s Article 5 collective defense principle may not apply to Ukrainian territories facing active combat if Ukraine were to join NATO.
**Ukraine Receives G7 Loan**
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Finance Ministry and the EU have signed a memorandum and an agreement to attract up to $36.7 billion as part of the G7 loan. This is aimed at supporting Ukraine’s economy during the ongoing war with Russia.
**Daily Developments**
* Ukrainian air defenses shot down 29 out of 50 Russian drones overnight.
* A Chinese man was arrested for shipping weapons to North Korea from the US.
* There were unconfirmed reports of explosions near a Russian airbase in Ryazan.
* Ukraine plans to establish nearly 200 mental health facilities.
* The BBC’s “100 Women 2024” list featured two Ukrainians.
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