WASHINGTON. June 14 (Interfax) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged the signatories to the G7 Joint Declaration in July 2023 to follow in the U.S. footsteps and sign bilateral security agreements with Ukraine.
"We are working with all 32 Joint Declaration signatories to establish a broad, mutually reinforcing, and powerful network of nations to safeguard Ukraine's future" Blinken said in a statement released by the U.S. Department of State.
The G7 Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine was adopted at the G7 summit in Vilnius in July 2023. According to Blinken, 15 states have signed bilateral agreements with Ukraine on this basis.
U.S. President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Vladimir Zelensky signed a bilateral security agreement on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy on Thursday.
Blinken described the agreement as "a historic show of support for Ukraine's long-term security."
"The United States intends to provide assistance, advice, and training to build Ukraine's defense and security capabilities, advance the reforms necessary to light Ukraine's path toward EU accession and NATO membership, and bolster Ukraine's defense industrial base through co-production and joint ventures with U.S. industry," thus "establishing the conditions for a just and lasting peace," Blinken said.