President Zelensky Was Disappointed About NATO Accession, G7 Announces Long-Term Security Commitment To Ukraine

President Zelensky while attending the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Twitter/@ZelenskyyUa)

JAKARTA - Countries that are members of Group 7 (G7) on Wednesday announced a long-term security commitment to Ukraine, a move that is expected to pave the way for bilateral security guarantees with more countries.

In a joint support document for Ukraine published on the second day of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, G7 countries say they have "specific, bilateral long-term security arrangements and arrangements" to offer Ukraine that will ensure "continuous forces capable of defending Ukraine today and hindering future Russian aggression".

The G7 said Ukraine would receive rapid and sustainable security assistance, modern military equipment across land, sea, and air domains, to economic aid, to charge Russia economic costs and other costs.

"For this purpose, we will cooperate with Ukraine in a commitment package and enhanced security arrangements, in the event of future aggression to allow Ukraine to defend its territory and sovereignty," the alliance said jointly.

The statement said the G7 countries would prioritize "air defense, artillery and long-range fire, armored vehicles" as well as air combat capabilities and promote "interoperability" of Ukrainian troops with Euro-Atlantic partners.

We all need certainty - in particular, institutional certainty. And it is very good that the NATO-Ukraine Council can really give us the necessary institutional certainty. It is important for us that the NATO-Ukraine Council will be an instrument of integration, not just… pic.twitter.com/R5RLkxJYxA

— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 12, 2023

We all need certainty - in particular, institutional certainty. And it is very good that the NATO-Ukraine Council can really give us the necessary certainty. It is an import for us that the NATO-Ukraine Council will be an instrument of integration, not just... pic.twitter.com / R5RLkxJYxA

This support will come in parallel by supporting the base of Ukraine's defense industry, training the Ukrainian army, sharing intelligence and cyber defense support.

The G7 is also committed to supporting Ukraine in non-military ways, including by strengthening its economy and energy security.

The countries also intend to provide technical and financial support to allow Ukraine to "continue to implement an effective reform agenda that will support the good governance needed to advance towards its Euro-Atlantic aspirations".

Previously, Ukraine hoped they would receive an official invitation to join NATO at the Vilnius Summit. However, the alliance decided not to take the move at this summit, but indicated the country would receive additional security guarantees.

The alliance's communications published on Tuesday reflect these doubts, which state Ukraine will become a member "when the Allies agree and its terms are met."

Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky, who publicly expressed his disappointment at not having an invitation to access NATO, softened his stance in a press conference shortly before the G7's statement was issued.

He praised the assurances offered by the G7, which he views as an important step towards Ukraine's integration into NATO, saying he understood Ukraine could not become a full member of NATO during the war on its territory.

The G7 commitment is the first "security umbrella" to legally bind Ukraine to western countries, President Zelensky said.

"Later on, Ukraine will have bilateral documents with every security guarantor for Ukraine, and that will cover all aspects we already have or are still lacking, such as air defenses," he said.

In exchange for G7 security guarantees, Ukraine has committed to strengthening transparency and accountability measures, Wednesday's statement said.

Ukraine will also continue "implementation of law enforcement, judiciary, anti-corruption, corporate governance, economy, security sector, and reform state management."

In addition, advancing "reformation and modernization of defense, including by strengthening democratic civilian control against the military, increasing efficiency and transparency across Ukrainian defense institutions and industries".