The first stage of the new diplomatic tour validated.
The Ukrainian President and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a security agreement in Berlin on Friday to guarantee lasting support for Ukraine, in difficulty facing Russia in full offensive.
This document which links the two countries is “a historic step”, argued Olaf Scholz on the social network the Russian war of aggression”, “as long as it takes”.
“Of course, we all hope that this brutal war will end soon” but “we also see that unfortunately Russia is not ready for a just and lasting peace”, which is why “we are sending today a very clear message to the Russian president that we will not relax our support for Ukraine,” he added during a press conference alongside the Ukrainian head of state.
“Grateful”, Volodymyr Zelensky for his part welcomed on his X account an “unprecedented” agreement, which provides for a support envelope “in the amount of seven billion for this year”.
The document also envisages arms deliveries, as well as a “mechanism for urgent consultations in the event of a Russian military attack against Ukraine”, he said.
Today, @Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz and I signed an Agreement on security cooperation and long-term support between Ukraine and Germany.
This is an unprecedented document that guarantees German support for Ukraine in the amount of €7 billion for this year.
It envisages weapons… pic.twitter.com/qAaHrxdr06
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 16, 2024
Crucial diplomatic tour
The Ukrainian president arrived in Berlin in the morning, the first stop on a European tour to request increased military support for his country in difficulty facing Russia.
He will then go to Paris to sign a comparable agreement with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The goal is the establishment of “a new security architecture for Ukraine,” he wrote on Telegram.
This diplomatic escape is crucial at a time when the situation has deteriorated considerably on the Ukrainian front.
In the east of the country, the town of Avdiïvka is the epicenter of “fierce fighting” and now threatens to fall after months of Russian assaults.
A few days before the second anniversary of the Russian invasion, on February 24, 2022, Ukraine is faced with multiple challenges: Russian troops are on the offensive, American military aid is still in limbo and the Ukrainian army lacks men, weapons, ammunition.
Also read: What is the bilateral security agreement that Zelensky and Macron will sign on Friday?
These security agreements are supposed to give kyiv guarantees of long-term support, pending possible integration of the country into NATO.
The United Kingdom was the first to conclude such an agreement during a visit by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to kyiv on January 12.
Volodymyr Zelensky will continue his mini diplomatic tour on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference (MSC), the annual meeting of the geopolitical elite in southern Germany.