Luxembourg and Ukraine Sign Security Agreement

Kiev has already sealed similar deals with several NATO members, including the US and Britain

On Wednesday, Ukraine signed a security agreement with Luxembourg. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky described the agreement as “political and value-based cooperation.” 

Luxembourg, a small duchy with a population of 672,000 people, borders France, Germany, and Belgium. It is one of NATO’s founding members. Zelensky and Prime Minister Luc Frieden signed the pact in Washington, DC, during a NATO summit. 

Since January 2024, Ukraine has signed approximately two dozen similar bilateral treaties with NATO members, including the UK, France, and Germany. However, NATO has ruled out Ukraine’s membership until its conflict with Russia is resolved. In June, Ukraine signed security agreements with the US and the EU.

None of these documents hold the same weight as Article 5 of the NATO Charter, which states that an attack against one member is considered an attack against the entire alliance. The treaties do not obligate Kiev’s supporters to directly engage in combat with Moscow. 

According to the text published by Kiev, Luxembourg will jointly lead a program with Estonia and Ukraine to enhance Ukraine’s IT capabilities. Luxembourg will also participate in programs designed to strengthen Ukraine’s Air Force and artillery. 

Luxembourg will support Kiev “through the provision of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, including in the space domain, and cyber-electromagnetic capabilities.” It will also contribute to training the Ukrainian army. 

Kiev reports that Luxembourg has already provided military aid to Ukraine exceeding €250 million ($270.74 million). Additionally, it has allocated €80 million ($86.64 million) for further defense assistance this year. 

Zelensky stated that the agreement “focuses on political and value-based cooperation between our countries,” and expressed gratitude to Luxembourg for supporting Kiev’s aspirations to join the EU and NATO. 

Frieden wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the objective is to “guarantee security, the rule of law and freedom in Europe.” 

Moscow has consistently maintained that continued Western arms deliveries to Ukraine will only prolong the conflict and ultimately fail to stop Russian forces. The Kremlin has also warned that the West’s deeper involvement in the conflict risks a direct confrontation between NATO and Russia. 

Dmitry Peskov, the presidential spokesman, previously stated that nations providing security guarantees to Kiev ultimately diminish Europe’s security.