What's happened
The European Union is planning a 20-billion-euro fund to provide Ukraine with weapons and military aid, while NATO has pledged long-term support and readiness to admit Ukraine to the alliance.
Why it matters
The EU and NATO's commitments to Ukraine's security and potential membership in the alliance are significant in the context of Russia's ongoing invasion and Ukraine's desire for protection and integration with Western institutions.
What the papers say
The European Union is drawing up plans for a 20-billion-euro ($22bn) fund to provide Ukraine with weapons, ammunition and military aid as it fights Russia's invasion, officials have said. (Al Jazeera) U.S. National security adviser Jake Sullivan doubled down on what NATO agreed to during its summit last week, saying it will be ready to admit Ukraine to the alliance once the country meets certain conditions. (Politico) The United States and global allies unveiled new security assurances for Ukraine at a Nato summit on Wednesday, designed to bolster the country's defences against Russia over the long haul while Kyiv strives for membership of the alliance. (Gulf News) U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts wrapped up a two-day summit Wednesday with pledges of long-term support for Ukraine but no offer of the country's protection under the alliance's security umbrella. (The Independent) The United States and global allies unveiled new security assurances for Ukraine at a NATO summit on Wednesday, desi
How we got here
The European Union and NATO have been discussing long-term security assurances for Ukraine in the face of Russia's invasion. The G7 group of nations launched a framework for bilateral negotiations to provide military and financial support, intelligence sharing, and immediate steps in case of further Russian aggression. NATO leaders announced their willingness to invite Ukraine to join the alliance once certain conditions are met. The creation of the NATO-Ukraine Council aims to strengthen cooperation between Ukraine and the alliance.
More on these topics
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Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which it borders to the east and north-east.
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The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 North American and European countries.
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Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy is a Ukrainian politician, actor and comedian who is the 6th and current president of Ukraine, serving since May 2019.
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Jens Stoltenberg is a Norwegian politician who has been serving as the 13th secretary general of NATO since 2014. A member of the Labour Party, he was Prime Minister of Norway from 2000 to 2001 and from 2005 to 2013.
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Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country located in Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. Covering an area of 17,125,200 square kilometres, it is the largest country in the world by area, spanning more than one-eighth of the Earth's in
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Sweden, officially the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund Strait.
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Dmytro Kuleba is the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine since August 29, 2019. He had been the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the Council of Europe between 2016 and 2019.
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Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. is an American politician who is the 46th and current president of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice president from 2009 to 2017 and represented Delaware in the United States Senate
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Arturs Krišjānis Kariņš is an American-Latvian politician currently serving as the Prime Minister of Latvia. A linguist and businessperson by profession, he previously served as Latvia's Minister of Economics and a Member of the European Parliament.