G7 to announce long-term Ukraine security package at NATO summit
G7 members are expected to ratify a wide-ranging security pact with Ukraine at the NATO summit on Wednesday.
But they stopped short of providing a timeframe for Kyiv to join the security alliance, provoking the anger of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The security arrangement will include defence equipment, training and intelligence sharing.
And UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said it would send a “strong signal” to Russian President, Vladimir Putin.
The security arrangement with Ukraine comes after its President, Volodymyr Zelensky, raged against NATO’s reluctance to offer Kyiv a timeframe for joining the alliance.
G7 leaders will sign the declaration in Vilnius on Wednesday on the side-lines of the second day of a NATO defence summit.
Speaking ahead of a meeting with President Zelensky on Wednesday, Mr Sunak said Kyiv’s allies were ramping up their “formal arrangements to protect Ukraine for the long term”.
“We can never see a repeat of what has happened in Ukraine and this declaration reaffirms our commitment to ensure it is never left vulnerable to the kind of brutality Russia has inflicted on it again,” he said.
British officials said the UK had played a leading role in the agreement involving G7 partners, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US. More details are expected on Wednesday.
US President, Joe Biden, earlier suggested a model for Ukraine similar to his country’s agreement with Israel. Under that deal, Washington has committed to providing $3.8bn (£2.9bn) in military aid per year over a decade.
But unlike Nato membership – this does not include a clause to come to the target nation’s aid during a time of attack. —BBC
