The Group of Seven (G7) has agreed during the NATO summit in Vilnius on long-term security support to help Ukraine win the war with Russia, the Financial Times reported on July 12.
"We will each work with Ukraine on specific, bilateral, long-term security commitments and arrangements towards ensuring a sustainable force capable of defending Ukraine now and deterring Russian aggression in the future," the statement obtained by Agence France Presse (AFP) said.
The governments of the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Canada, and Japan agreed to provide Ukraine with "modern military equipment, across land, air, and sea domains."
The aid will prioritize air defense, artillery, long-range weapon systems, armored vehicles, and air combat capabilities, AFP reported. G7 also reportedly pledged to provide further military and financial assistance to Ukraine in case of a future Russian armed attack.
"We understand that the best guarantee for Ukraine is to be in NATO. On our way to NATO, we would like the security guarantees and to have them permanently, so that they would make our relationship with (Western) countries even more powerful," the Financial Times cited President Volodymyr Zelensky speaking at the summit.
While Ukraine has not received the much-desired invitation to join NATO at the Vilnius summit, scheduled to finish today on July 12, the allies have pledged to scale up their military support. A number of partners, including the U.K., France, Germany, and Norway have presented new military aid.
The "fighter jet coalition," a group of countries willing to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and the necessary training, has been officially formed during the summit, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov informed.
Zelensky commented that the summit brought good results, "but if there was an invitation (to NATO), it would be ideal."
Alexander Query
(Updated: )
