By Oyintari Ben
An international framework that lays the path for long-term security guarantees for Ukraine to strengthen its defences against Russia and stave off further aggression was announced by the G7 on Wednesday.
The United States, Germany, Japan, France, Canada, Italy, and the European Union stated in a joint declaration that other countries can join, that the framework includes modern, advanced military equipment, training, intelligence-sharing, and cyber defence.
In exchange, Ukraine would promise better governance measures, including judicial, economic, and more transparency reforms.
US President Joe Biden said the G7 would help Ukraine develop a strong military as it waits to be admitted to the NATO alliance.
At a ceremony with the other G7 leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Biden said, “We’re going to help them build a strong, capable defence across land, air, and sea.”
The US President emphasised that “Ukraine’s future lies in NATO” and that, following a declaration outlining a global framework to support Ukraine, the G7 had made it plain that its support would continue for a long time.
Biden declared, “We’ll stay there as long as it takes.
Zelenskyy called the multilateral agreement, which opens the door for bilateral talks with nations, a “significant security victory” for Ukraine while speaking alongside Biden.
According to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the security commitments to Ukraine made by a number of nations within a G7 framework are intended to be a long-term plan to support Kyiv.
“It’s about a security partnership that is desperately needed, and that will enable the participating countries to specify their contributions (to Kyiv), embedding these contributions in a longer-term strategy that Ukraine can depend on,” he told reporters.
