France and Ukraine to sign bilateral security agreement during Zelenskyy’s visit to Paris

This agreement builds on the commitments made by the G7 countries on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.

At that time, NATO leaders did not set a timetable for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance, but the G7 countries pledged to provide Ukraine with "long-term" military support to help it withstand the current Russian offensive and deter Moscow from any future attacks.

The two leaders "will have the opportunity to discuss the situation on the front line, Ukraine's military, economic and humanitarian needs, as well as negotiations on Ukraine's accession to the European Union, to which France gives its full support," the statement read.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet with his French and German counterparts ahead of a pivotal address to the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 17, the President’s Office announced on Telegram on Feb. 15.

Zelenskyy is expected to hold a series of other bilateral meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, including with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, Czech President Petr Pavel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the Presidential Office announced.

Security agreements for Ukraine: what is known

On Jan. 12, the UK and Ukraine signed a ten-year security agreement.

London will exchange intelligence with Kyiv, assist with cybersecurity, military training, and develop mutual defense-industrial cooperation. The agreement also commits the United Kingdom to consult with Ukraine in case Russia launches another attack and to provide "rapid and sustained" security assistance.

On Jan. 13, Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal stated that Ukraine is negotiating with several partners to sign agreements on security guarantees and military cooperation.

On Jan. 15, it was announced that Canada had also submitted a draft security agreement to Ukraine.

France is nearing completion on a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine, following the example set by the UK, French President Emmanuel Macron said at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 17.

On Feb. 3, German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported that Ukraine might sign a security agreement with Germany in February, with the document already being drafted.

Ukrainian officials held a third round of negotiations on a bilateral security agreement with the Netherlands, the President’s Office announced on Feb. 5.