G7 leaders pledge support for Kyiv, NATO chief says Ukraine will join alliance
(VOVWORLD) -“Ukraine will join NATO. It is not a question of if, but of when,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Saturday, February 24, the 2nd anniversary of Russia-Ukraine conflict. He said NATO was helping Kyiv to make its forces “more and more interoperable” and reiterated the military support commitments worth billions of dollars.
 Scene of destruction caused by conflict in Izyum, Kharkiv region, Ukraine, February 20, 2023. Photo: AFP/VNA
|
On Saturday, leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) chaired this year by Italy, held a videoconference, vowing to continue supporting Ukraine. Ukraine government and its people can count on the G7’s support for as long as it takes, the group said in a statement.
G7 said it will continue to increase sanctions against Russia to block Russia's financial revenues and punish individuals and entities that seek to help Russia. The statement of the leaders of the G7 countries affirmed their support for a comprehensive, fair and lasting peace in accordance with the United Nations Charter, international law and respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bilateral security agreement with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and a similar agreement with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Kyiv on Saturday. Earlier, Ukraine signed security agreements with Britain, Germany, France and Denmark.