Ukraine signs security pacts with Germany, France

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday struck separate long-term agreements with France and Germany for military support and training for Ukraine.

Germany committed to not only support Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion “for as long as it takes,” but to also assist Kyiv “in building up modern, resilient armed forces to deter any future attack,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Berlin.

Zelenskyy said the details of the agreement with Berlin “are very specific and involve long-term support,” which he claimed was a sign that Western allies understood that Ukraine will eventually become a NATO member.

“Ukraine will be in NATO, that’s clear to me,” Zelenskyy said.

In addition to the security arrangement, Scholz also announced a new €1.1 billion military support package for Ukraine, which includes 36 self-propelled howitzers, 120,000 rounds of artillery ammunition, two Skynex air defense systems and additional missiles for the IRIS-T air defense system.

Later in the day, Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a separate bilateral security agreement in which Paris pledged to “contribute to the long-term structural and comprehensive strengthening of Ukraine.” The agreement will remain valid so long as Ukraine is not part of NATO, Macron said.

Macron said the French and German agreements are "complementary." He also said he would visit Ukraine before mid-March after postponing a trip that was announced last month.

The agreement says France "provided Ukraine with military aid worth a total of €1.7 billion in 2022 and €2.1 billion in 2023. In 2024, France will provide up to €3 billion in additional support." Paris, which has been reluctant to say how much it is spending to help Ukraine, has vigorously rejected reports that its contribution paled in comparison to other countries.

Scholz, meanwhile, said Berlin’s total military assistance for Ukraine, including future pledges and support delivered via the EU, amounted to about €28 billion, making Germany the second-biggest supporter of Kyiv behind the U.S.

Despite that, the future of Ukraine’s successful defense “also depends on the United States,” the chancellor said, as he urged the U.S. Congress to approve a new multibillion-dollar aid package for Kyiv.

Scholz also said that Germany was ramping up arms production to not only better support Ukraine but also ensure its own security.

“If we have to defend ourselves, we must be able to do so from our own resources,” he said. “What we’re doing now because of Ukraine is also an important commitment to our own security and future.”

France provided a “non-exhaustive” run-down of its aid to Ukraine in a document seen by POLITICO. According to the French presidency, since Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Paris has provided Kyiv with five Mistral air defense systems, 30 Caesar Cannons, “about 100” Scalp long-range missiles and 38 armored reconnaissance AMX 10 RC tanks.

The Elysée also said it had sent “many hundreds” of drones, millions of rounds of ammunition and thousands of rifles, rockets and antitank landmines, as well jet fuel, other armored vehicles and additional missiles and air and ground defense systems. It also has provided €2.2 billion in “bilateral civil aid,” including humanitarian and legal aid, according to the document.

The security deals come in the wake of pledges made at a NATO summit in Vilnius last July. Instead of offering a direct path to NATO membership, G7 countries pledged to sign bilateral security deals with Kyiv to signal their long-term support in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression.