G7 defence ministers back Ukraine's 'irreversible path' to NATO membership

Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, Britain's Secretary of State for Defence John Healey, Japan's Defence Minister Gen Nakatani, Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, Canada's Minister of National Defence Bill Blair, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and pose for a photo during the G7 Defence Ministers meeting in Naples, Italy October 19, 2024. REUTERS/Ciro De Luca

Source: REUTERS

Defence Ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies support Ukraine's "irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership," they said in a statement on Saturday.

"We underscore our intent to continue to provide assistance to Ukraine, including military assistance in the short and long term," in its conflict with Russia, the G7 ministers said after their meeting in the Italian city of Naples.

Italy holds the 2024 chair of the group which also includes the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany and Japan. Representatives of the European Union, NATO and the Ukrainian defense minister also joined the talks in Naples.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters