Presidents of the United States and Ukraine Joe Biden and Vladimir Zelensky signed a 10-year security agreement during the G7 summit in Italy. Reuters reports this. The document should be a step towards Ukraine’s possible entry into NATO, the agency writes.
The agreement states that in the event of an armed attack on Ukraine or a threat of aggression towards it, representatives of Kyiv and Washington must meet within 24 hours to determine further steps and the country's defense needs.
“Both sides recognize that to ensure security, Ukraine needs significant military forces and constant investment in the defense industry that meets NATO standards,” the document says.
The agreement stipulates that the United States will provide Ukraine with material assistance, as well as “training, consulting, intelligence, security, defense-industrial” and other support.
Japan also concluded security agreements with Ukraine at the G7 summit. According to Zelensky, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to transfer $4.5 billion to Kyiv by the end of 2024, as well as support Ukraine for 10 years.
In addition, the G7 countries decided to allocate $50 billion to Kyiv by the end of the year, secured by income from frozen Russian assets. According to Reuters, the technical details of this agreement will be determined in the coming weeks.
In the summer of 2023, NATO simplified the procedure for Ukraine to join the alliance. The country will skip the preparatory phase, when a potential NATO member must complete the Membership Action Plan.