Czechia, Ukraine to sign bilateral security agreement on July 18

Czechia's Prime Minister Petr Fiala attends a European Union leaders summit to discuss support for Ukraine at the EU Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Thursday, March 24, 2022. (Photo credit: Valeria Mongelli/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala announced on X that the country will sign a bilateral security agreement with Ukraine during the European Political Community summit in London on July 18.

Fiala said on June 28 that he had reached on agreement with President Volodymyr Zelensky the previous day to "conclude negotiations on the text of the Czech-Ukrainian security agreement before the NATO summit in Washington."

The upcoming NATO summit is scheduled for July 9-11.

Czechia joins 19 other countries, including the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and France, as well as the European Union, that have signed similar bilateral treaties to help Kyiv repel Russia's aggression. The agreements are based on a pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) last July.

Under this plan, individual countries would provide bilateral support to help Kyiv repel the ongoing Russian invasion and deter any future aggression.

The security guarantees would entail explicit and long-lasting obligations, as well as bolster Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression. The guarantees would also cover sanctions, financial aid, and post-war reconstruction.

Most recently, Kyiv signed 10-year bilateral security agreements with Estonia and Lithuania at the Brussels summit on June 26.

The newly-elected U.K. Prime Minister will host 50 leaders from across Europe during the European Political Community summit, which will primarily focus on supporting Ukraine against ongoing Russian aggression.