Security agreements with Ukraine: what do France and Germany promise?
Ukraine has signed bilateral security agreements with several countries and received new security guarantees from its partners. Find out why the signed documents are a historic step and what other countries have expressed a desire to support Ukraine
The United Kingdom was the first to sign a security agreement with Ukraine. This happened on January 12, 2024. Soon after, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the EU countries and signed new bilateral security agreements for Ukraine for a period of 10 years with the leaders of the countries. At the same time, Zelensky emphasized that the 10-year term of the security agreements does not mean that Ukraine will be at war for 10 years.
"No, this means that these countries are with us, these are security guarantees if the aggression returns, even after the war is over. It's not just about weapons, it's about reconstruction and so on. That is why it is very important that we have such long-awaited and long-term security guarantees with our partners," the President said during the Munich Security Conference.
Why these documents were called a "historic step," what the partners promise to provide, and under what conditions, we will discuss further in the article.
Security agreement between Ukraine and Germany: what is known?
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called the agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and Germany a "historic step." Instead, according to European Pravda, at a joint press conference, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that this is a very strong document that reflects the logic that the aggressor must understand how and why it will inevitably lose before it starts its actions.
The signed agreement consists of eight chapters and the main idea of this document is security cooperation. Thus, Germany promises to continue to provide security and military support to Ukraine for the entire term of the agreement (10 years), as well as to further support Ukraine on its path of reforms. In return, Ukraine undertakes to continue reforms, focusing on the areas identified in the European Commission's recommendations and those necessary for EU accession.
The agreement also states that in 2024, Germany will provide Ukraine with funds (for military assistance) totaling more than €7 billion.
At the same time, the agreement states that in the event of a future armed attack by russia on Ukraine, consultations are to be held within 24 hours to determine the appropriate further steps that can be taken at the request of either party. It is worth noting that Germany confirmed that in such circumstances it would be able to provide Ukraine with rapid and sustainable security assistance, including military equipment and economic assistance.
During the press conference, it also became known that Germany is preparing to allocate a new military aid package worth 1.1 billion euros, which will include: 36 armored howitzers and wheeled howitzers, 120,000 rounds of ammunition, two Skynex air defense systems and missiles for IRIS-T.
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Agreement on security cooperation between Ukraine and France: details
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the signed document will bring cooperation in the fields of information and cybersecurity, intelligence and counterintelligence, critical infrastructure protection, and combating organized crime to a new level. At the same time, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the bilateral agreement on security cooperation will strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities and will remain in force until Ukraine joins NATO.
Thus, France plans to continue to support Ukraine in the supply of military equipment, defense industry cooperation, training, intelligence, and assistance to the civilian sector. In addition, as Zelenskyy noted, the agreement provides for the allocation of €3 billion for defense this year.
In addition, the document sets out France's clear and principled position on Ukraine's full membership in NATO, the imposition of sanctions against russia, and the responsibility of the russian political leadership and all war criminals.
Unprecedented support from Denmark
During the Ukrainian Lunch conference, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called on the EU countries to provide Ukraine with more weapons and stated that "words are no longer needed, but decisions are needed." She went on to say that Denmark would transfer all of its artillery to Ukraine.
"We, Denmark, have decided to transfer all our artillery to Ukraine, and our F-16s will soon be flying in the Ukrainian sky. So, sorry, friends, Europe has military equipment, it's not just a matter of production. We have weapons, ammunition, air defense systems that we are not using yet, and we need to transfer them to Ukraine," she said.
It should be noted that Norway may sign a security agreement with Ukraine in the next few weeks. This was stated by Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre to the NTB news agency on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on February 16.
We remind you! The U.S. Senate has supported an aid package that provides more than $60 billion in new funding for Ukraine. Read more about the next steps and how soon the support will be delivered in our previous article.
Photo: president.gov.ua
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