In Brussels, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo signed a bilateral agreement on security cooperation and long-term support, the press service of the President’s Office said on Tuesday.

“In 2024, Belgium will allocate at least EUR 977 million EUR in military support on behalf of Ukraine. Belgium will continue supporting Ukraine for the ten-year duration of this Agreement. For the first time, such a security agreement says of a specific number of military aircraft that will be provided to Ukraine - 30 F-16s until 2028. At the same time, the first fighters should be transferred this year," the message says.

By the agreement, Belgium guarantees that it will provide timely security, modern military equipment and weapons, taking into account the needs of Ukraine in the field of air force and air defense, maritime security, mine clearance within the framework of the ammunition coalition and will facilitate military training.

Separate blocks of the document are devoted to bilateral cooperation in the defense industry, support for the Ukrainian Peace Formula, strengthening sanctions, compensation for damage, bringing the aggressor to justice, using confiscated Russian assets for Ukraine's needs and assistance in economic recovery and reconstruction. Cooperation in the field of intelligence, cybersecurity and countering disinformation will be deepened.

In the agreement, Belgium clearly confirms its support for Ukraine's future membership in the EU and NATO.

Belgium is the 11th country with which Ukraine has concluded a bilateral security agreement in compliance with the provisions of the G7 Joint Declaration adopted in Vilnius on July 12 last year. A total of 32 states have already joined the declaration. Prior to that, Ukraine signed bilateral agreements with the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Denmark, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Finland, Latvia and Spain.