**Ukraine Rejects Russia’s Demand to Abandon NATO Membership Promise**
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has dismissed Russia’s demand to cancel the 2008 promise of eventual membership for Ukraine in NATO. The ministry called it “utter bul***it” and said Moscow had no say in the matter.
In a statement on January 24, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi responded to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko’s criticism of NATO’s 2008 Bucharest Summit declaration. Tykhyi said that European security architecture is built on protection from Russia and that Ukraine remains committed to joining the alliance.
Russia has repeatedly criticized NATO’s decision at the time, saying it was catastrophic for European security. However, Ukrainian officials see NATO membership as a way to strengthen their country’s defenses against Russian aggression.
Ukraine officially applied to join NATO in September 2022 after Russia’s full-scale invasion. While NATO members pledged at the 2024 Washington Summit that Ukraine’s path to membership is irreversible, they have yet to extend a formal invitation.
**Russia Sees NATO Membership as Key Condition for Peace**
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that his country is ready for talks with U.S. President Donald Trump on ending the war in Ukraine. However, Moscow sees a ban on Ukraine’s entry into NATO as a key condition for resolving the conflict.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting 121 Ukrainian drones overnight, while the Ukrainian military spokesperson said that Russian forces are trying to bypass the city from the north and south but have so far been unsuccessful.
**Casualties Continue to Rise**
Since the last update in mid-January, the names of 1,964 Russian soldiers have been added to the list of casualties. The vast majority of bodies were recovered from the front in Donetsk Oblast.
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed at least six people and injured at least nine over the past day, regional authorities reported on January 24. North Korea is reportedly preparing to send more troops to Russia to fuel the war in Ukraine, even after significant losses, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) reported.
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