Day 478 of the Invasion of Ukraine: NATO will not invite Ukraine as a member in July

Day 478 of the invasion of Ukraine. Summary of key events in the last 24 hours:

• NATO will not invite Ukraine as a member in July
• Putin promises economic growth despite the costs of the war in Ukraine
• Explosions echoed in Kyiv during the visit of African leaders
• Germany will supply Ukraine with 64 more missiles for the Patriot system
• Russia is putting up "desperate resistance" in the Bakhmut region, according to Ukraine
• Ukrainian pilots are already being trained to fly F-16 fighter jets, Stoltenberg said
• Kremlin: Putin is ready for any contacts on the Ukrainian problem
• Putin ordered the creation of psychiatry to examine LGBTQ+ people

NATO will not invite Ukraine as a member in July

"At the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius in July, we will not discuss an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance". This was announced by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday after the two-day meeting of the defense ministers of the alliance in Brussels.

"We agree that Ukraine will join NATO and this is a decision of Kyiv and the allies, Russia has no veto," he added.

By becoming a member of the pact, NATO will help Kyiv move to full compatibility with the alliance so that it has the ability after the war to deter a future Russian attack.

NATO representatives have repeatedly said that as long as the war continues, Ukraine cannot enter the alliance, as it is against its rules to accept countries in conflict.

Stoltenberg pointed out that NATO-Ukraine relations are expected to move...