Declaration of support as G7 vows long-term arms supplies to help Ukraine defeat Russia

AFP | Vilnius                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday welcomed a commitment by G7 nations to support Ukraine for as long it takes to defeat Russia, insisting it was a step on the road to Kyiv eventually joining NATO.

“We will not waver,” US President Joe Biden said in a speech in Vilnius aimed at showing resolve to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin after meeting Zelensky at a NATO summit. “Putin still doubts our staying power. He’s still making a bad bet that the conviction and the unity among the United States and our allies and partners will break down.”

Zelensky insisted that the promises from the Western leaders amounted to a “significant security victory” that he could take home to Kyiv. But he did not disguise the fact that he would have preferred the 31-member Atlantic alliance to have agreed a firm timetable for Ukraine to join its ranks once the 16-month old Russian invasion has been defeated and peace restored.

“The best guarantee for Ukraine is to be in NATO,” Zelensky said, expressing confidence that once the war is over Ukraine would be welcomed, but warning that the G7 commitments should be seen “not instead of NATO, but as security guarantees on our way to integration.”

On Tuesday, the NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine could join the alliance once certain conditions are met, and US and German officials in Vilnius made it clear that these would include Kyiv carrying out reforms to protect democracy and the rule of law.

“No country is exempt from them,” Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters referring to the reforms. This could frustrate Zelensky, who insisted Ukraine’s understanding was that the tests that Kyiv must still pass were simply “security conditions”, that peace must be restored and the Russian aggression ended.

“We understand that Ukraine cannot become a member of NATO while the war is ongoing. But then it will be for our common strength when Ukraine joins the alliance,” he tweeted.