A group of Western allies, including the U.S., the U.K., France, and Germany are engaged in "frantic, last-minute" negotiations over a security assurance declaration for Ukraine ahead of the Vilnius NATO summit, Politico reported.
According to an undisclosed French official, the allies are “very hopeful" the negotiations "can be concluded by the end of the summit."
The objective is to establish a broad-based plan to secure ongoing military aid to Ukraine, accommodating diverse terms and conditions from country to country.
While a security assurance declaration may simply consolidate the aid allies currently provide Ukraine, the aim of the declaration is to offer a more enduring demonstration of unity among member nations.
“It is basically a guarantee towards Ukraine that we will, for a very long time to come, we will equip their armed forces, we will finance them, we will advise them, we will train them in order for them to have a deterrent force against any future aggression,” a senior NATO diplomat told Politico.
Kyiv seeks swift inclusion into NATO, which would invoke mandatory military support from other members under Article 5. However, a significant number of NATO allies maintain that Ukraine should only be considered for membership once the war with Russia ends.
In the meantime, Politico reports, the Alliance's primary powers have been looking for provisional security commitments they can offer Ukraine.
A meeting between U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to take place in London on Monday, in order for their staffs to discuss and finalize any remaining details, a NATO diplomat told Politico.
Mark Dietzen
