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President Joe Biden and the G7 leaders announced Wednesday that they will release a long-term joint statement of support for Ukraine with the goal of helping the country bolster its military to defend against Russian aggression and deter future threats.
“We are going to help Ukraine build a strong and capable defense on land, air and sea, from which they will be a force for stability in the region and deter any and all threats,” Biden said in remarks made alongside other G7 leaders and Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky.
President Biden said that the deal makes it clear that support for Ukraine from the world’s most powerful democracies “will last long into the future”“.
Although the declaration includes members of the G7 (the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom), is open to other nations wishing to negotiate long-term bilateral security commitments with Ukrainethe leaders said.
“It is a powerful statement, a powerful statement of our commitment to Ukraine as it defends its freedom today and as it rebuilds its future,” Biden said. “We’re going to be there as long as it takes.”
After a bilateral meeting between Biden and Zelensky, the US president told reporters that he hoped “we have finally put aside the idea of whether or not Ukraine is welcome in NATO; It will happen. We are all moving in the right direction.” I think it’s just a matter of getting through the next few months.”
What is the purpose of the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine
The statement marks the start of talks with kyiv to formalize long-term support for Ukraine through bilateral security agreements and commitments.
The declaration framework aims to ensure that Ukraine has a sustainable force capable of defending the country through continued security assistance and modern military equipmentstrengthen Ukraine’s economic stability through reconstruction and recovery efforts, and provide technical and financial support for Ukraine’s needs stemming from Russia’s ongoing war.
The G7 leaders’ announcement came on the last day of the NATO leaders’ summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, where a day earlier, the alliance declared that “the future of Ukraine is in NATO”.
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But the members declined to provide a timetable for when an invitation to Ukraine would be extended, saying that It would only happen when the country makes several reforms and the allied countries “agree and the conditions are met.”
Zelensky criticized the joint statement, saying in a tweet on Tuesday that it was “unprecedented and absurd” that there was no set deadline regarding Ukraine’s admission to NATO.
But on Wednesday he acknowledged in a tweet that his country understands “that Ukraine cannot become a member of NATO while there is a war going on.”
The outcome of the NATO summit was a “much-needed and significant success for Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said. in brief statements together with the leaders of the G7.
Keep reading:
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– Volodimir Zelensky demands NATO “security guarantees” for Ukraine in the war against Russia
– Why NATO does not accept Ukraine’s entry for the moment