After an unprecedented "handshake" with the UK, Ukraine is preparing to move towards a bilateral security agreement with Germany and France.

According to the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on February 4, sources from the German government said that Berlin and Kiev could finalize an agreement on bilateral security guarantees at the Munich Security Conference on February 16.

Thủ tướng Đức Olaf Scholz (giữa) và Tổng thống Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky (phải) đến thăm một căn cứ quân sự ở Aachen, miền Tây nước Đức, nơi các quân nhân Ukraine đang được huấn luyện. (Nguồn: AFP)

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visit a military base in western Germany where Ukrainian soldiers are being trained. (Source: AFP)

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister in charge of EU and NATO integration Olha Stefanishyna said that the draft agreement had been prepared, and although the text had not been fully agreed upon, it was "ready in many aspects".

German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on January 25 that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed in a phone call to speed up negotiations on bilateral security commitments and support measures.

In mid-January, Ukraine and the UK signed a 10-year security cooperation agreement, under which London pledged to support Kiev during this period.

Ukrainian President Zelensky said the agreement would be in effect until Ukraine joins NATO, describing it as an "unprecedented security agreement." On this occasion, the Ukrainian leader expressed: "I am glad that we have signed the first security agreement with the UK... This is the basis for cooperation with other partners."

French President Emmanuel Macron has also announced his intention to sign a similar agreement with Ukraine.

In the 2024-2025 financial year, Britain plans to increase military aid to Kiev to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion), 200 million pounds more than the amount it has provided Ukraine in the past two years. The additional aid will cover Ukraine's needs for long-range missiles, air defense systems, artillery and maritime security.

In addition, the funding will ensure at least £200 million is made available for Ukraine to purchase thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for use in its defence operations, the majority of which will be manufactured in the UK.

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