Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania join G7 declaration of support for Ukraine
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania announced that all three Baltic countries are joining the G7 Declaration of Support for Ukraine, which was adopted in July.
The declaration aims to provide Ukraine with sustained political, military, financial, and economic assistance through bilateral agreements. It also contributes to holding Russia to account and obliging it to compensate for the damage caused by its aggression in Ukraine. All like-minded countries are welcome to join the declaration.
In the joint statement, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform), along with her Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts Krišjānis Kariņš, and Ingrida Šimonytė, expressed their unwavering support for Ukraine until its victory. The three prime ministers also pledged to sustain their efforts to hold to account all those responsible for the crime of aggression and other international crimes.
"We will work with Ukraine within this multilateral framework to establish security commitments and arrangements that would help Ukraine win this war as soon as possible, support its economic stability and reconstruction, resilience, reform agenda, and advance its European and Euro-Atlantic aspirations," the joint statement reads.
The Baltic prime ministers stressed that only NATO membership will provide Ukraine with security guarantees, ensure sufficient deterrence needed to avert future aggression by Russia, and strengthen Euro-Atlantic security and stability.
"At the NATO Vilnius Summit, the Allies agreed that Ukraine's future is in NATO. We will continue our steadfast support for Ukraine on its path to join the Alliance as soon as possible. Ukraine has proven its readiness to further our shared principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law, as well as to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area," the prime ministers emphasized.
They also confirmed that they will work closely with Ukraine on its path towards future EU membership, while expressing hope that accession negotiations can be started as early as this year.
Shortly after last month's NATO summit in Vilnius, the G7, which comprises seven of the world's most advanced economies, issued a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine.
18 countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Romania, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Greece, and North Macedonia) have now joined the joint declaration.
The precise content of the commitments to be fulfilled as a result of signing the joint declaration will be determined during talks held with Ukraine. They will take into account both Estonia's capabilities and Ukraine's needs, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
Estonia, together with Lithuania and Latvia, joins the #G7 declaration of support for Ukraine.
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) August 17, 2023
We will keep helping #Ukraine until victory. We will support Ukraine on its path towards NATO and EU membership.
Full joint statement with @krisjaniskarins and @IngridaSimonyte ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/7xMErFKYWb
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Editor: Michael Cole
