G7 members to announce long-term Ukraine security package at Nato summit

G7 members are expected to ratify a semipermanent information statement with Ukraine astatine the Nato acme connected Wednesday.

It volition see defence equipment, grooming and quality sharing.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the statement would nonstop a "strong signal" to Russian President Putin.

It comes aft Ukraine's President Zelensky criticised Nato's reluctance to connection Kyiv a timeframe for joining the alliance.

Mr Sunak said Kyiv's allies were ramping up their "formal arrangements to support Ukraine for the agelong term".

"We tin ne'er spot a repetition of what has happened successful Ukraine and this declaration reaffirms our committedness to guarantee it is ne'er near susceptible to the benignant of brutality Russia has inflicted connected it again," helium said.

He added that supporting Kyiv's "pathway to Nato membership", arsenic good arsenic "formal, multilateral and bilateral arrangements" by Nato members would nonstop a wide connection to the Russian president and "return bid to Europe".

No 10 said the UK had played a starring relation successful the statement involving G7 partners Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US. More details are expected connected Wednesday.

US President Joe Biden earlier suggested a exemplary for Ukraine akin to his country's statement with Israel. Under that deal, Washington has committed to providing $3.8 cardinal successful subject assistance per twelvemonth implicit a decade.

But dissimilar Nato rank - this does not see a clause to travel to the people nation's assistance during a clip of attack.

The G7 announcement comes aft Nato said Ukraine could articulation the subject confederation "when allies hold and conditions are met" - a hold Mr Zelensky has called "absurd".

Kyiv accepts it cannot articulation Nato portion it is astatine warfare with Russia but wants to articulation arsenic soon arsenic imaginable aft warring ends.

Addressing crowds successful the Lithuanian superior connected Tuesday, Mr Zelensky said: "Nato volition springiness Ukraine information - Ukraine volition marque the confederation stronger."

He besides presented a conflict emblem from the destroyed metropolis of Bakhmut - the tract of the longest, and perchance bloodiest, conflict successful Russia's penetration of Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky had earlier tweeted that "uncertainty is weakness", and said the deficiency of an agreed timeframe meant his country's eventual rank could go a bargaining chip.

Nato mightiness not person said erstwhile and however Ukraine mightiness articulation the alliance, but diplomats emphasised that they had acceptable retired a wide way to membership, with the onerous exertion process shortened significantly.

They said they had recognised that Ukraine's service was progressively "interoperable" and much "politically integrated" with Nato forces, and promised proceed supporting reforms to Ukraine's ideology and information sector.

Diplomats besides highlighted the instauration of a caller Nato-Ukraine Council, gathering connected Wednesday for the archetypal time, which volition springiness Kyiv the close to summon meetings of the full alliance.

But the determination to springiness nary consciousness of timescale is inactive being seen arsenic a setback for Ukraine.

Some subordinate states fearfulness near-automatic rank for Ukraine could springiness Russia an inducement to some escalate and prolong the war.

The absorption present is moving to what semipermanent information guarantees Nato members volition committedness Ukraine arsenic an alternate to aboriginal membership.

In the past, Western information pledges failed to deter 2 Russian invasions. Nato allies anticipation a 3rd circular volition beryllium robust and explicit capable to transportation the Kremlin that further aggression would beryllium excessively costly.

The Vilnius acme began a time aft Turkey dropped its absorption to Sweden joining the subject alliance.

Turkey had antecedently spent months blocking Sweden's application, accusing it of hosting Kurdish militants. The state volition present go the alliance's 32nd subordinate aft Finland - which borders Russia, joined successful April.

Both countries announced their volition to articulation Nato aft Russia invaded Ukraine.

A bid of subject packages for Ukraine were besides announced astatine the acme connected Tuesday.

A conjugation of 11 nations volition commencement grooming Ukrainian pilots to alert US-made F-16 combatant jets astatine a centre to beryllium acceptable up successful Romania successful August, officials said.

In May the US gave the go-ahead for its Western allies to proviso Ukraine with precocious jets, including the agelong sought F-16s - a important upgrade connected the Soviet-era planes it is presently using.

Ukraine had repeatedly lobbied its Western allies to supply jets to assistance with its recently-begun counter-offensive aiming to retake territory seized by Russia.

However experts accidental the grooming of Ukrainian pilots to alert and run Western jets volition instrumentality immoderate time.

In summation to the G7 information pact, the UK has announced plans to present much than 70 combat and logistics vehicles to Ukraine, aimed astatine boosting its counteroffensive operation.

Meanwhile, Russia launched a question of kamikaze drone attacks connected Kyiv and its portion for a 2nd nighttime successful a enactment connected Tuesday night, Ukraine's subject said.

Initial accusation said determination were nary contiguous reports of casualties oregon large destruction.