The European Union and Ukraine signed an agreement on “security guarantees” on Thursday (27.6.2024).
The presidents of the European Council, Charles Michel; of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and of Ukraine, Volodímir Zelensky, signed the document in Brussels, before the summit that EU leaders are holding today and tomorrow in the community capital.
“The world has seen European effectiveness, our ability to find the right decision at the right time,” Zelensky said after signing the agreement.
“We know what is at stake. We are very impressed by your leadership and the courage of the Ukrainians. They are fighting for their freedom, for their territory, future, for their children. But also for common values and principles,” he said, for his part, Michel.
Financial and military commitments
The EU and its Member States “will accelerate and intensify the delivery of all necessary military assistance,” states the document, which is added to the one that some countries have signed bilaterally in recent weeks with kyiv.
Specifically, the agreement refers to the EU’s commitment to give one million howitzers to Ukraine, which should have been delivered in March of this year, as well as the additional 5 billion euros that the Twenty-seven have agreed to within the European Support Fund. to Peace, currently blocked by Hungary.
The document also emphasizes that it will continue to work together with its international partners to use the benefits of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, following the agreement reached by the G7 to finance a loan of 50 billion euros to Ukraine.
The EU hopes to deliver 1.4 billion from these benefits to Ukraine throughout next July, so that its industry can buy weapons on the international market.
The EU will also continue to train Ukrainian soldiers, such as the more than 50,000 it has already trained in its training mission, whose “targets in terms of numbers and skills must be continually adapted, according to the combat needs expressed by the Ukrainian Army.”
Path to EU accession
After the start of accession negotiations with Ukraine last Tuesday, the EU also committed to “continue supporting Ukraine’s path to the EU” and assured that “enlargement is a geostrategic investment in peace, stability and prosperity “.
The EU also showed its willingness to promote the holding of future peace conferences between the international community and Zelensky’s plan, help Ukraine in demining and support Ukrainian refugees. Following this agreement, Lithuania and Estonia also signed bilateral agreements with Ukraine. MS (efe/dpa/afp)
