The EU and the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to sign a security agreement tomorrow, in which the EU commits to continuing arms supplies to Ukraine and training the Ukrainian military, as well as providing other assistance to Kiev in the coming years, Reuters reported, as quoted by BTA.
The agreement will set out nine areas of security and defense policy in which the EU is committed to helping Ukraine, including arms supply, military training, defense industry cooperation, demining. The draft contract was seen by Reuters.
Zelensky is expected to sign the agreement at the meeting of European leaders in Brussels. His visit there has not been officially announced, but diplomats say he is expected to attend the summit.
The agreement aims to complement similar agreements that Kiev has concluded with its allies.
In the event of future aggression, the EU and Ukraine declare their intention to consult within 24 hours on Kyiv's needs and to quickly decide on the next steps to be taken and which are in line with commitments, the draft said the text.
The document is part of a broader effort by Ukraine's partners to give assurances that they will stand by Kiev in the long term at a time when there is no end in sight to the war and no prospect of Ukraine's immediate accession to EU or to the alliance.
Countries such as the USA, Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy and others have already concluded a security pact with Kiev.
Officials say such agreements are not the same as a mutual defense pact between NATO countries, but are commitments to provide Ukraine with weapons and other assistance to bolster its own security and deter any to be a future invasion.
The draft document says that its commitments will remain in force while Ukraine moves towards EU membership. The contract will be renewed after 10 years at least.
It does not specify the value or amount of future aid. It is noted that the EU has agreed to provide 5 billion euros to finance Ukrainian military aid for this year. But there is no similar figure mentioned in it for the following years. "Further comparable annual increases can be predicted through 2027," the text said.