Free Republic

Ukraine is on an “irreversible” path to NATO membership, the 32 members of the alliance affirmed in a joint communique released Wednesday on the second day of the summit being held in Washington. Allies had negotiated for months over what language would be published in the joint communique, but discussions on specific words — including “irreversible” — had continued in D.C. throughout the first days of the summit.

Ukraine released thousands of prisoners to fight on the frontlines of the war with Russia as the country’s military struggles with low manpower. Inmates are being offered a choice: stay in prison and serve out their sentences or join the fight against Russia in exchange for the possibility of parole, according to The Associated Press. The policy is a first for Ukraine as the country double-times its efforts to bring more people into the military in the ongoing fight against Russia, which has a considerably higher manpower advantage.