Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed a historic security agreement between Ukraine and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This document is the first in the field of security agreements and is the embodiment of the agreements reached at the NATO Vilnius Summit.
The treaty, called the Security Cooperation Agreement, sets out the UK's security commitments to Ukraine before it joins NATO. It allows Ukraine to receive security guarantees from one of its partner countries.
President Zelensky expressed his belief that if similar guarantees had been obtained in 1991, the war in Ukraine could have been avoided. He emphasized the importance of this document as a real step towards strengthening international security and cooperation.
For his part, Rishi Sunak noted that this is “the first of the security assurances” that Ukraine is receiving, and emphasized the role of the United Kingdom in providing Ukraine with lethal weapons and other important resources.
The treaty is valid for ten years with the possibility of extension. However, in the event of Ukraine joining NATO, the security commitments will end and be integrated into the Alliance system.
What else is known so far:
- guaranteed annual financial assistance of 2.5 billion pounds ($ 3 billion). This is the largest assistance from Britain since February 2022.
- expanding cooperation in intelligence and cybersecurity;
- this is the first agreement in the field of security agreements to implement the agreements in Vilnius between NATO and Ukraine.
This document is an important step on Ukraine's path to strengthening its international status and security.
