Ukraine Welcomes Pledges of More Military Aid With Cautious Optimism

Ukraine has in recent weeks faced the full force of Russia’s multifaceted attacks, with Moscow sending waves of troops to break through Ukrainian lines in the east and barrages of missiles to knock out the country’s energy system.

So it was with a sigh of relief that the embattled nation welcomed a series of pledges of military and financial aid made by Western allies this week, including a 10-year security agreement with the United States and a $50 billion loan issued by Washington and the European Union.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine said that the promises, announced during a flurry of diplomatic meetings at the Group of 7 summit in Italy on Thursday, meant that his country would receive more air defense systems to protect its battered cities.

“Patriots is practically a Ukrainian word now,” he said, referring to the advanced — and scarce — American-made missile batteries that Ukraine has long asked for. Washington agreed last week to send an additional battery, adding to the at least three systems that Ukraine already has.

“There will also be more equipment and other necessary supplies for the front,” Mr. Zelensky said in his evening address on Thursday, striking an unusually upbeat tone. Unlike his most recent speeches, which focused on the difficult situation at the front line, those remarks read like a list of successful agreements reached with Kyiv’s allies.

Ukraine also signed a security pact with Japan on Thursday and, at an international conference in Berlin this week, secured more than $15 billion in promised aid from Western partners to help rebuild the country.