Ukraine, Japan sign bilateral security agreement during G7 summit

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine and Japan on Thursday signed a bilateral security agreement during the 50th G7 summit being held in Italy.

"Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida @kishida230 and I have just signed a security agreement between Ukraine and Japan. A unique document with one of the world’s most economically and technologically advanced countries," President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X.

Expressing that the agreement includes security and defense assistance, humanitarian aid, and technical and financial cooperation, Zelenskyy said Japan will provide Ukraine with $4.5 billion and will support Kyiv throughout the agreement’s 10-year duration.

Zelenskyy further said the agreement also includes joint efforts between Ukraine and Japan on his 10-step peace formula, as well as sanctions against Moscow and efforts to hold it accountable for the conflict in Ukraine.

"We also greatly appreciate that Japan will cooperate with Ukraine in reconstruction and recovery. For Japan, this type of agreement and this level of support is a breakthrough. We see this and thank Japan for its unwavering solidarity with our country and people, as well as for its dedication to protecting life and international law," he added.

Ukraine has already signed bilateral security treaties with 15 other countries, namely the UK, Germany, Iceland, Denmark, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Portugal, Belgium, Latvia, Finland, Italy, France, Canada, and the Netherlands, making Japan the first country outside of NATO to have signed such a deal with Kyiv.

The agreements came as the G7 declared during a NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius last July that it is starting negotiations with Kyiv to formalize "enduring support" for Ukraine through "bilateral security commitments and arrangements."