Zelenskyy visits troops near Bakhmut as IMF approves $15.6 billion loan to Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited military positions near the front line city of Bakhmut on Wednesday. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) will provide Ukraine with a $15.6 billion loan for economic recovery, the organization announced late on Tuesday. The Swedish Parliament on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted in favor of legislation to join NATO, amid regional security concerns due to Russia's assault on Ukraine. A former Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, told DW that she is skeptical of China's mediation efforts regarding the war. The Kremlin has dismissed "hostile" reactions from the West to Putin's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week.