BRUSSELS (Reuters)
G7 countries are set to announce an international framework that will enhance Ukraine’s defense capabilities against Russia and prevent future aggression, according to officials.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is currently meeting with leaders of the NATO summit, where they confirmed that Ukraine’s future lies within the alliance. However, they did not provide a specific timeline for membership, despite Zelenskiy’s request.
Due to the ongoing conflict with Russia, Ukraine has been seeking both current and long-term security commitments, knowing that NATO’s Article 5 could potentially lead to war with Russia. NATO has avoided direct involvement in the conflict to prevent a direct confrontation with Russia, preferring to let member states and others handle military assistance.
The Quad, consisting of Britain, France, Germany, and the United States, has been engaged in negotiations with Kyiv to establish a comprehensive framework for member states. This framework would cover areas such as the provision of modern military equipment, training, intelligence sharing, and cyber defense.
“The joint declaration, expected to be signed by all members of the G7, will set out how allies will support Ukraine over the coming years to end the war and deter and respond to any future attack,” said the British government in a statement.
The G7, composed of the United States, Germany, Japan, France, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, will hold a meeting later today on the sidelines of the NATO summit to announce this initiative. Other countries, including Poland and Romania, are expected to join the framework, and it will be open to additional countries to make their own commitments.
“As Ukraine makes strategic progress in their counteroffensive, and the degradation of Russian forces begins to affect Putin’s front line, we are stepping up our formal arrangements to protect Ukraine for the long term,” stated British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
In exchange for these security assurances, Ukraine will pledge to implement governance and judicial reforms.
Additional reporting by Andrew Gray and Steve Holland; Editing by Alex Richardson
Credit: The Star : News Feed
