Yermak hopes Ukraine, U.S. will sign security agreement soon

Head of Ukraine's Presidential Office Andriy Yermak has said he hopes that Ukraine will sign a "historic" security agreement with the United States in the near future.

He said this at a joint briefing with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Kyiv on Wednesday, March 20, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"When Jake and I, on behalf of our Presidents, began to talk about a possible security document, which was then agreed in Vilnius [the G7 declaration of support for Ukraine, adopted in Vilnius in July 2023] and which led to the signing of a series of [bilateral] security agreements with Ukraine, then few people believed it was possible," he said.

Yermak noted Sullivan's direct participation and leadership in promoting the signing of the G7 declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine by many countries.

"Today, more than 30 countries have already signed this declaration, and there will soon be 40," he said.

He also recalled that Ukraine had already signed bilateral security agreements with different countries.

"We are working hard today. I think that very soon we will be able to prepare -- and our leaders will be able to sign -- an agreement with the United States, which I am sure will be historic," Yermak said.

On July 12, 2023, on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius, the leaders of the G7 countries agreed on a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine. The document concerned, in particular, the work on bilateral long-term obligations and agreements in the field of security.

On January 8, 2024, President Volodymyr Zelensky approved the composition of the delegation for negotiations on security guarantees for Ukraine.

To implement the agreements reached at the Vilnius NATO summit, Ukraine signs bilateral security agreements with NATO member countries. Such agreements have already been concluded with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark, Canada, Italy, and the Netherlands.