Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday signed the ‘Munich Package’, a $1.18 billion bilateral security agreement to help in the fight against Russia’s invasion. Germany’s defence ministry said the deal, which focuses mostly on air defence and artillery, includes supplies of 120,000 rounds of 122-mm ammunition and 100 IRIS-T SLS missiles this year.
Describing it as a “historic step”. Scholz vowed that “Germany will continue to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian war of aggression.”
For as long as it takes.@ZelenskyyUa and I signed an agreement today on our long-term security commitments – an historic step. Germany will continue to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian war of aggression.
Slava Ukraini. pic.twitter.com/YFFzELiGz3
— Bundeskanzler Olaf Scholz (@Bundeskanzler) February 16, 2024
Zelenskyy, who arrived in Berlin on Friday morning, described it “an unprecedented document that guarantees German support for Ukraine in the amount of €7 billion for this year,” and “I am grateful to Germany and all Germans for their solidarity with our country and people, as well as all the support and assistance.”
He was expected in Paris later Friday to sign a similar accord with President Emmanuel Macron of France, before heading for the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
Arrived in Paris. A meeting with President Macron is planned, as well as an important agreement. Our cooperation yields results in the protection of life in Ukraine and our entire Europe.
🇺🇦🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/lSfw0s26UP
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 16, 2024
According to the New York Times, “European leaders have been scrambling to offer more support to Ukraine amid growing concerns that a $60 billion United States aid package, which passed the Senate, may yet be scuppered by Republicans in the House.”
In his brief speech after signing the pact in Berlin, Zelenskyy said he was “counting on the fact that the United States will not fall away,” and that he had received guarantees from the leaders of both American political parties of continued support. Regardless of any problems that may arise now in the House of Representatives or in Congress overall, or in politics because of the election process,” he said, “I nonetheless believe that we will ultimately see that familiar American pragmatic approach on this, because we are defending the security of the world.”
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