Yermak: Ukraine, US to start talks on security guarantees next week

"These guarantees will be valid until Ukraine becomes NATO member which is the most reliable security guarantee. While the war continues in our country and we cannot join NATO, our state must have reliable guarantees for the transition period," Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak posted on Telegram.

The Head of the President's Office noted that the work of the international working group, which he heads together with former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, had already resulted in the Joint Declaration adopted by the leaders of the G7 countries and Ukraine in Vilnius.

According to him, more than a dozen other countries have already joined this declaration and new countries join almost every week.

"Ukraine will conclude a system of bilateral agreements with the declaration participants which will contain specific security guarantees. We are currently working on bilateral agreements with each of these partners. We will start negotiations with the United States next week," Yermak stressed.

As he noted, security guarantees for Ukraine will be concrete and long-term commitments that will ensure Ukraine's ability to win now and deter Russian aggression in the future.

"These will be clearly described formats and support mechanisms. It is about defense and financial support, as well as sanctions and punishment for the aggressor," Yermak said.

Security guarantees, he emphasized, are an important prerequisite for the recovery and development of communities, regions, and the whole of Ukraine.

As reported, the leaders of NATO countries at the Vilnius Summit on July 11 published a final communique which states that Ukraine's future is in NATO and it will receive an invitation to join when all member states agree to it and the relevant conditions are met.

At the NATO Summit in Vilnius, the creation of the Ukraine-NATO Council was announced and the Membership Action Plan was canceled.

The leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) countries agreed on the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine on the sidelines of the NATO Summit in Vilnius.

Photo: Andriy Yermak / Telegram