Cyprus has become the 30th nation to join the Vilnius Declaration led by the G7 group of countries to provide security guarantees to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on 2 November.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to Cyprus and President Nikos Christodoulides for signing the declaration, saying it will help strengthen European security and deepen bilateral ties.
“We will continue to strengthen European security together and deepen our bilateral cooperation,” Zelenskyy wrote on X/Twitter.
The initiative was launched at the G7 summit held in Lithuania in July, where the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US agreed to offer Ukraine long-term security commitments and arrangements.
The Nordic nations of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden were the next to join on the summit’s second day. This was followed by the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania formally announcing their support in a joint statement in August.
Other European nations backing the declaration include Greece, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Kosovo, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Spain.
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The declaration affirms support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and condemns Russia’s invasion. It states the strongest guarantee is helping Ukraine defend itself under Article 51 of the UN Charter.
It outlines bilateral security cooperation on:
- Equipping Ukraine’s military with necessary equipment, including air defense, artillery, armored vehicles, and combat aircraft. Also covers training, intelligence sharing, and developing Ukraine’s defense industry.
- Reconstructing Ukraine’s economy and energy infrastructure.
- Providing financial and technical assistance to meet urgent wartime needs.
The countries pledged to hold Russia accountable for war crimes and keep its assets frozen for reparations. In return, Ukraine commits to reforms upholding democracy, human rights, and media freedom. Ukraine also pledges to implement defense reforms and modernization, including strengthening democratic control of the armed forces and increasing efficiency and transparency in defense institutions and industry.
Based on the declaration, specific security guarantee treaties will be concluded between Ukraine and individual countries, potentially expanding on these commitments, Andrii Yermak, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, clarified.
On 28 October, the Presidential Office reported that Ukraine had launched bilateral security talks with the Netherlands, becoming the sixth country to hold such negotiations as part of Kyiv’s push for security guarantees.
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