Ukraine will sign bilateral security agreements with the United States and Japan on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The summit will be held between June 13-15 in Apulia, a southern region of Italy. At least fifteen guest countries and institutions are expected to attend, in addition to the leaders of G7.
Zelensky will join the summit and plans to hold talks with U.S. President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the prime ministers of Italy, Canada, and the U.K., European Council President, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director.
He described the upcoming deal with Washington as "unprecedented."
The agreement outlines a vision of how to strengthen Ukraine's defense and deterrence capabilities and secures "commitments from Ukraine on reforms" and on "end-use monitoring" for U.S.-provided weapons, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan Sullivan said.
When signed, the U.S. and Japan would join 14 other countries including the U.K., Germany, France, Canada,and the Netherlands, which have signed similar deals to help Ukraine repel Russia's aggression based on a pledge made by G7 at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.
"Today, as part of this declaration, we are signing the final two security agreements with G7 members. The entire Ukrainian people, including our warriors, see that the G7 will always support Ukraine," Zelensky said.
While most of the summit will focus on Ukraine's economy and defense, key topics will include the development of a fighter jet coalition, boosting the country's air defense system, and increasing long-range capabilities, according to the president.
The leaders are also expected to approve a format for using Russian assets to benefit Ukraine. The French presidency said on June 12 that the partners reached an agreement to provide Kyiv with $50 billion by the end of the year.
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