The first document will be ready by the end of August, Zelensky’s chief of staff said
Ukraine’s presidential advisor Andriy Yermak speaks during a press conference at the Ukrainian Ambassador’s residence, in Paris on January 26, 2022. © THOMAS COEX / AFP
A document detailing international security guarantees for Ukraine may be prepared by the end of this month, Andrey Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, revealed on Monday.
“We believe security guarantees to be a very important issue, we constantly discuss this matter with all our partners. We talked about this today as well, and I’m glad that our partners are interested… By the end of this month, I think on the 29th or 30th, we can count on the first document emerging,” Yermak told reporters after a meeting with aids to the presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Hungary.
The talks took place as part of the ‘Kiev initiative,’ a new format meant to bring Ukraine closer to its Western neighbors and respond to challenges to European security amid the Russian military offensive.
The Ukrainian official noted that he had already gone over the paper, touting it as “very powerful.” The document was prepared by an advisory group headed by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
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Earlier this month, in a Guardian op-ed, Yermak said Ukraine was preparing recommendations on security guarantees. In the piece, he signaled that while Ukraine’s long-term goal remains NATO membership, “Russia’s current belligerence” makes accession difficult.
He believes Kiev needs legally binding guarantees from its allies for weapons deliveries, exchange of intelligence, and the support of Ukraine’s defense and economy.
On Tuesday, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev commented on the talks, saying that any security guarantees for Ukraine could have only been provided by Russia, but Kiev has given up that chance. “No one will accept Ukraine into NATO now. The alliance consists of Russophobes, but it is not suicidal,” he said.
