Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a bilateral security agreement with Germany.
This came as Zelenskyy met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.
It’s Ukraine’s second such bilateral agreement after one signed last month with the U.K.
He said that more agreements were in the works with other countries.
“Ukraine has never yet had more valuable and stronger documents,” Zelenskyy said.
The German agreement, which is valid for 10 years, underscores Germany’s “intention to provide long-term military support to the Ukrainian security and defense forces.”
It says that Germany and Ukraine “will work together on ensuring a sustainable force capable of defending Ukraine now and deterring future aggression in the future.”
The agreement stated that in case of future Russian aggression, Germany “would provide Ukraine as appropriate, with swift and sustained security assistance” and modern military equipment as needed, as well as seeking agreement on imposing “economic and other costs on Russia.”
The accord goes on to state that Ukraine “will continue to implement an ambitious reform program,” which is essential to its ambitions to join the European Union and NATO.
According to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the signed security agreement is an unprecedented document that reflects not only the level of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Germany, but also Berlin’s fundamental role in maintaining normalcy in Europe and the world.
“I would like to thank you personally for such a special attitude towards Ukraine, towards Ukrainians, and I would like to thank Germans, ordinary people, for their attitude towards us,” Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy also thanked Germany for a new defense package worth more than €1 billion, which the Ukrainian army urgently needs right now.
The Ukrainian President divulged that during discussions with Scholz, they discussed in detail, the situation at the front and the necessary provision of the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the current international circumstances and given the enemy’s superiority in weapons.
“We also discussed enhancing our air defense: Germany has already become one of the leaders in this kind of support, and I am grateful to you. Thousands of lives have been saved from Russian strikes, but there is a greater need for protection,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
Zelenskyy plans to sign another bilateral agreement with President Emmanuel Macron in France later on Friday, February 16, 2024.
A Historic Step
On his part, the German Chancellor called the signing of the security agreement between the two countries a historic step.
“It is difficult to overestimate this document, as it states that Germany will continue to support an independent Ukraine defending itself against Russian aggression for as long as it takes,” Scholz said.
According to him, Germany will support Ukraine in building a modern, defense-capable Armed Forces to prevent any future Russian aggression.
“If Russia thinks about it in the future, we have detailed agreements in place – diplomatic, economic and military – on how we will help Ukraine,” the Chancellor added.
“This agreement reflects the values we share. It is based on democracy and the rule of law, on the order in which our societies want to live. For its part, Ukraine assumes responsibility for continuing the reforms aimed at joining the EU,” he said.
He also emphasized that everyone wants this war to end as soon as possible.
“Unfortunately, we see that Russia is not ready for a lasting and just peace. On the contrary, it continues to pursue its goals, as Putin has recently demonstrated to us again. We are sending a clear message to the Russian President: we will not reduce our support for Ukraine. We continue to stand with the Ukrainians.”
Olaf Scholz
READ ALSO: Election-Induced Expenditures, A Threat to Ghana’s Fiscal Economy
