Joint press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the NATO Summit in Washington, D.C., 11 July 2024.
Good afternoon, President Zelenskyy, dear Volodymyr,
It is great to see you again. And welcome to the NATO Summit.
It’s always a pleasure to meet with you, but in particular when we meet at a NATO Summit where Allies are so eager to demonstrate their strong support to you and to the people of Ukraine.
And let me pay tribute to your inspirational leadership.
The heroism of your armed forces.
And the bravery of the Ukrainian people.
Since our last Summit, NATO Allies have provided Ukraine with unprecedented support, including tens of billions of euros in military aid.
Here in Washington, Allies have taken decisions to ensure support for the long haul.
Yesterday, we agreed a substantial package for Ukraine.
First, NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine.
NATO will take over the coordination and provision of most international security assistance.
With a command led by a three-star general and around 700 personnel working at the NATO headquarters in Germany in Wiesbaden and at hubs in the eastern part of our Alliance.
This will enhance Ukraine’s self-defence.
Second, a financial pledge.
NATO Allies have pledged a minimum baseline of 40 billion euros in military aid for Ukraine within the next year. And to sustain our support for Ukraine to prevail.
Third, more immediate military support to Ukraine.
Over the past days, Allies have pledged crucial additional military aid, including for air defence and other critical capabilities.
These donations will help save lives.
And help beat back Russian invaders.
Fourth, more bilateral security agreements with Ukraine.
More than twenty Allies and partners have now signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine, giving Ukraine enduring security commitments.
Fifth, deepened military interoperability.
We will work more closely with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Including through a new NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Centre in Poland.
And by deepening our cooperation on innovation and defence industrial production.
President Zelenskyy, in our meeting just now, you and I agreed that all of these elements –
a NATO command;
more funding;
more military support;
more security agreements; and
more interoperability;
constitute a bridge to NATO membership,
and a very strong package for Ukraine.
Ukraine’s future is in NATO.
I welcome your progress on reforms and as you continue this important work, we will support you on your irreversible path to NATO membership.
Shortly we will meet in the NATO-Ukraine Council, which we established last year at the Vilnius Summit.
And discuss how to deepen our cooperation even further.
So once again, President, dear Volodymyr, you have the floor.
🗣 | President of Ukraine:
Thank you very much Jens, thank you so much for the invitation, dear Jens, dear your team and dear journalists, I am grateful to you for your attention to Ukraine and for supporting our people and our absolutely just cause, the defence against Russian aggression. It is Russia that invaded our land. It's Russia that wants to take our lives. It's Russia that kills and destroys and through this war against Ukraine, It wants to show what awaits other countries if we do not endure. That is why we must endure. That is why we must preserve our unity, all partners, and that is why we must strengthen ourselves so that Russia does not succeed in making the world accept to the notion that wars of aggression are normal. Dear Jens, I want to thank you for all these meetings, for all these years for all the steps of our cooperation. Thank you so much, and the Allies have truly become stronger. And all that we have achieved together will continue to work for the benefit of all partners.
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