Defense chiefs from the Group of Seven (G7) developed economies vowed to support Ukraine's "irreversible path" to eventual NATO membership and pledged continued military support in the "short and long term" as Kyiv battles against Russia's full-scale invasion.
The leaders on October 19 also condemned Moscow for its military aggression along with its deployment of "hybrid warfare" and the "irresponsible use of nuclear rhetoric."
"We underscore our intent to continue to provide assistance to Ukraine, including military assistance in the short and long term," the G7 said in a joint statement following its summit in Naples.
“We support Ukraine on its irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership,” it added.
Italy, which holds the 2024 rotating chair of the group, hosted the event that also included the United States, Canada, France, Britain, Germany, and Japan and representatives of the European Union and NATO.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who attended the event, "expressed gratitude for the constant support in the fight against Russian aggression," his office said.
The G7 defense chiefs said in their statement that they "consider it imperative to continue supporting the education and training needs of the Ukrainian defense and security forces...given the need for force regeneration and reconstitution."
It noted the G7 decision to make available an estimated $50 billion by using revenue derived from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine, including military, budgetary, and reconstruction assistance.
"We consider it a priority to work now to find solutions to create a Ukrainian military interoperable with supporting member states and NATO, capable of defending Ukraine now, and deterring further attacks in the future," it said.
"This process must be based on coordinated and sustained actions across relevant state and international actors."
It said that Ukraine had "for nearly three years defended itself against Russia's brutal and full-scale illegal war of aggression."
"We condemn Russia, which has put in place a posture of confrontation and destabilization on a global scale, also resorting to hybrid warfare and the irresponsible use of nuclear rhetoric."
Since February 2022, when he sent tens of thousands of troops across the border to invade Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly hinted and threatened that Russia was ready to tap into its nuclear arsenal -- the world's largest -- to defend itself.
