"President Zelensky will be there at the opening of the European Council for the discussion on Ukraine and in particular on the subject of security commitments," the office of French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

According to European officials, an agreement on these security guarantees has been approved by member countries and is due to be signed Thursday.

Like the other security pacts signed by Ukraine, this EU agreement is meant to firm up support for the future.

A draft seen by AFP said the EU would look to continue financing weapons deliveries for Ukraine, keep training Kyiv's troops, and step up efforts to bolster the country's defence industry.

But there were no concrete commitments of new aid from the EU.

As with the other pacts, it included a clause saying the EU would consult with Ukraine within 24 hours in case of a "future aggression" by Russia.

Ukraine has portrayed the agreements as a bridge towards membership in the EU and NATO.

The initiative to sign them was announced at a NATO summit last year to appease Kyiv after it was refused a clear timeframe for joining the alliance.

But accession negotiations between the EU and Ukraine began this week, a step described as "historic" both in Kyiv and in Brussels.

Macron's office noted that the 27-member European Union had its own security commitments to support Kyiv, in addition to bilateral agreements with several member states, including France.

Macron and Zelensky signed a bilateral agreement in mid-February establishing long-term French support for Ukraine.

Germany, the United States, the UK and many other Western allies of Kyiv have also signed support pacts.