Kiev has sealed comparable pacts with a number of NATO international locations, formalizing their dedication of assist
Ukraine has reached a safety settlement with the European Union, and signed comparable pacts with Lithuania and Estonia. Beneath the deal, the EU will proceed to supply navy assist to Kiev, in accordance with a draft seen by Reuters.
Since 2023, Ukraine has secured such pacts with a number of particular person NATO member states, together with the UK, France and Germany. None of those paperwork, nonetheless, pledge direct future involvement on the a part of the signatories within the battle between Ukraine and Russia.
Talking throughout a gathering of the EU member states’ leaders on the Council of Europe on Thursday, Vladimir Zelensky mentioned: “As we speak, [European Council President] Charles Michel, [European Commission President] Ursula Von der Leyen and I, we signed it – the joint safety dedication with the EU.”
He added that “along with President [Gitanas] Nauseda, I signed the safety settlement between Ukraine and Lithuania, and along with Prime Minister [Kaja] Kallas, the safety settlement between Ukraine and Estonia. And I invite everybody in Europe who remains to be on the sidelines of the safety work to affix us.”
In a submit on X (previously Twitter) forward of the assembly, Zelensky wrote that the safety “settlement will enshrine the dedication of all 27 Member States to supply Ukraine with intensive assist, no matter any inside institutional adjustments.”
Whereas the textual content of the EU-Ukraine pact has not been made public on the time of this writing, Reuters reported on Wednesday that the settlement would obligate the bloc to supply help to Kiev in 9 areas of safety and protection coverage, together with weapons deliveries and coaching of the Ukrainian navy. The EU additionally reportedly pledges to carry consultations with Ukraine inside 24 hours within the occasion of “future aggression.”
US and Ukraine signed a 10-year safety settlement earlier this month, underneath which Washington has vowed to “assist Ukraine’s efforts to win right now’s struggle and deter future Russian navy aggression.”
Zelensky hailed the pact as elevating US-Ukrainian relations “to the extent of a real alliance.”
The Kremlin has repeatedly warned that, whereas incapable of adjusting the course of the battle, continued Western arms deliveries to Ukraine might probably set off a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia.
Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that by offering any safety ensures to Kiev, the West is making Europe much less safe.
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