Ukraine and Germany have signed a surprise security pact valued at €1.1 billion, authorities from both countries have confirmed.
The new deal was signed by the two governments on the fringes of the ongoing Munich Security Conference, which saw dozens of major world leaders fly into the city to discuss global security.
According to a press release by Germany’s government, the new deal involves Germany handing over additional mine-clearing tanks, armoured personnel vehicles, and self-propelled howitzers.
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
Germany will also supply Ukraine with an additional 120,000 rounds of 122mm artillery shells–with these deliveries coming timely amid fears Kyiv could lose control of the city of Avdiivka due to insufficient ammunition for their heavy guns.
According to Ukraine, the agreement also includes numerous provisions solidifying the two countries’ defence relationships for the long term.
In a text published by Kyiv, both countries agree to the further development of Ukraine’s military with the aim of making it more compatible with Nato systems.
Germany also commits to backing Ukraine in its efforts to become a member of the EU and, should the current conflict end, aid the country if Russia ever chooses to attack it again.
The Scholz government also promises to encourage German companies to produce munitions locally in Ukraine in hopes of mitigating supply chain problems.
A majority of Germans are against Ukraine joining the European Union, a new survey has found. https://t.co/iB4x8Sf6NN
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) February 15, 2024
The deal comes after Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a similar deal with France while on a multi-day trip to Western Europe.
After visiting Paris earlier in the week, Ukraine’s leader is now in Germany, where he will address the Munich Security Conference and attend several bilateral meetings with world leaders, including US vice-president Kamala Harris.
While there is said to be considerable talk of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict at the annual security event, more discussions have revolved around the current danger Russia poses to Europe.
This was only compounded by the death of Russian opposition figurehead Alexei Navalny.
With Russia’s prisons service declaring the opposition leader died in prison, the announcement has caused uproar in the West, with numerous politicians accusing the Kremlin of killing Putin’s principal domestic critic.
“Putin fears nothing more than dissent from his own people,” European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said.
She added Navalny’s demise was a “grim reminder of what Putin and his regime are all about”.
Germany has met a NATO alliance target to spend 2 per cent of its gross domestic product on defence for the first time since the early 1990s, a defence ministry spokesperson said. https://t.co/2zmDsDuQQB
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) February 14, 2024
