Zelenskyy and Scholz sign landmark security pact between Ukraine and Germany

On 16 February 2024, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz signed a Ukraine-Germany security agreement in Berlin, as the Presidential Office of Ukraine reported.

Germany has become the second country after the UK, with which Ukraine has signed an agreement on long-term security cooperation and support.

The Presidential Office of Ukraine published the document, which emphasizes long-term military support for the Ukrainian army to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

According to the agreement, Germany will assist with the equipment and training of Ukraine’s Armed Forces for deterrence and protection against future attacks and pressure. The agreement highlights the importance of defense cooperation between the two countries and states that Germany will continue to support Ukraine throughout the duration of this agreement.

The treaty also emphasizes the role of Ukraine’s defense industry in effectively contributing to the restoration of its territorial integrity, driving economic recovery, and effectively deterring future aggression. It also mentions the alignment of standards and improving operational compatibility with Euro-Atlantic partners.

Germany will continue to provide assistance and consultation on reforming and further developing Ukraine’s Armed Forces, both bilaterally and with partners. Ukraine and Germany intend to strengthen cooperation to counter threats to information security, including propaganda and other forms of foreign malicious interference, such as disinformation.

The countries commit to cooperating in the fields of intelligence and security, including the exchange of intelligence information and cooperation in counterintelligence, the document reads.

The agreement also covers economic cooperation for significant private sector investments, economic prosperity, and Ukraine’s economic integration, as well as creating a favorable business environment for domestic and international investments in Ukraine. It foresees intensified cooperation in areas such as construction, cybersecurity, digital transformation, the chemical industry, electronics/electrical engineering, energy, agriculture, mechanical engineering, the arms industry, and “green” energy/hydrogen energy.

As per the document, Germany will continue to provide long-term support to Ukraine’s energy sector, particularly in the transition to “green” energy. It will support Ukraine in increasing the resilience of its critical infrastructure, including energy, water, and heating supply, and facilitate Ukrainian experts’ access to relevant international programs.

Ukraine and Germany will continue to cooperate in countering Russian information manipulations and propaganda. They will take measures to counter dangerous organized crime from Russia, including countering individuals and groups attempting to infiltrate Ukrainian society, exerting criminal influence in certain regions, particularly in Russia-occupied territories of Ukraine, and acting as an instrument of hybrid warfare to counter processes of recovery and reconciliation in Ukraine.

The agreement includes humanitarian aid, civil protection, and resilience, with German support addressing urgent needs, such as providing protective equipment, assisting in investigating and documenting human rights violations and war crimes related to Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine, and supporting Ukrainian civil society.

In the event of a future armed attack by Russia on Ukraine, consultations will be held within 24 hours upon request from Kyiv or Berlin to determine measures necessary to counter or deter aggression. Germany confirms that under such circumstances, acting in accordance with its legal and constitutional requirements and in line with international and European law, it will provide Ukraine with rapid and sustained security assistance, modern military equipment in all necessary areas, economic aid, seek consensus in the EU on imposing economic and other costs on Russia, and consult with Ukraine regarding its needs while exercising its right to self-defense enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter.

The agreement is valid for ten years from the date of its signing.

Following the meeting, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth €1.1 billion. The German government’s official website details the “Munich package,” which includes providing Ukraine with 120,000 122-mm artillery shells and an additional 100 IRIS-T SLS missiles this year. Additionally, a second SkyNex air defense system is to be delivered in 2025.

Germany will provide €1.1 billion in military aid to Ukraine,

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