(Dan Tri) – Ukraine and Britain signed a security agreement with the provision that it will be in effect until Kiev is admitted to the NATO military alliance.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (Photo: Kyiv Independent).

European Pravda reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on January 12 signed a bilateral security agreement.

The document titled `Agreement on security cooperation between Ukraine and the United Kingdom and Ireland` was signed after talks at the Mariinskyi Palace in Kiev.

G7 countries at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in July 2023 agreed on a framework document to ensure security for Ukraine.

The January 12 agreement is the first document in the security sector implementing the above framework document in the form of a bilateral treaty.

President Zelensky said the UK’s security commitments under the document will remain in effect until Ukraine joins NATO.

For his part, Mr. Rishi Sunak emphasized that this is `the first security guarantee signed by Ukraine`.

The two leaders also said that the agreement stipulates a validity period of 10 years with the possibility of extension.

Also within the framework of his visit to Kiev, Mr. Sunak announced that Britain would provide 2.5 billion pounds (3.1 billion USD) in military aid to Ukraine.

`The UK is announcing the largest aid package since the beginning of the war for Ukraine, worth £2.5 billion,` Mr Sunak said.

`It will include air defense equipment, anti-tank weapons, long-range missiles and thousands of shells. The agreement will also include training for thousands more Ukrainian soldiers,` the British Prime Minister said.

In his evening speech, Mr. Zelensky announced that Ukraine would work with other partners based on the security agreement with Britain.

`This is a day that will go down in the history of our country. We have an agreement with the United Kingdom, a security agreement that we have been working on for a long time,` he said.

`We have ensured Ukraine receives financial support for this year of £2.5 billion. And overall, over the period of the 10-year agreement, there will be a significant amount of support each year. It includes

Ukraine has long pursued its ambition to join the US-led military alliance.