Ukraine to start talks with US on ‘security guarantees’ – Kiev
Kiev and Washington will enter into talks on US security guarantees for Ukraine in early August, an aide to President Vladimir Zelensky, Andrey Ermak, told journalists on Sunday. The negotiations are expected to start as early as next week, he added.
Ermak described the security arrangements as a temporary measure until Ukraine joins NATO, which he called “the most reliable security guarantee.” According to the presidential aide, the set of measures, which will be listed in a future bilateral agreement between Kiev and Washington, will involve military and financial assistance for Ukraine, as well as “sanctions and punishment for the aggressor.”
The arrangements will include “clearly defined forms and mechanisms of support,” Ermak said, adding that Kiev expects the guarantees to ensure Ukraine’s “ability to win” the conflict with Moscow and contain what he called “Russian aggression” in the future.
He also said that agreements with the US and other Western nations, which are supposed to follow Washington’s example, will be based on the joint declaration issued by Ukraine and the G7 nations in Vilnius in mid-July. Ermak claimed that more than a dozen other nations had already joined this declaration, did not name any of them.
Ukrainian media reported that the deal reached by Ukraine and the G7 nations does not involve any specific support mechanisms, but only “framework” agreements.
The text of the July declaration states that the G7 nations “will each work with Ukraine to establish specific, long-term bilateral security commitments and arrangements,” including security assistance with “modern military equipment,” support for Ukraine’s defense industry, training for Ukrainian troops, as well as information exchange and cyber defense aid.
Under the deal, Kiev is expected to "contribute positively to the security of partners" and continue the reforms demanded by its Western backers.
Neither the US nor any other G7 nation have commented on the supposed security agreements with Ukraine so far.
In mid-July, President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow has nothing against security guarantees for Ukraine as long as Russian national security is not compromised. “There is just one restriction,” he said – “ensuring one nation’s security should not pose a threat to another nation’s security.”
“As for Ukraine’s NATO membership, we have repeatedly stated that it creates a threat to Russia’s security,” the president said, adding that this was one of the reasons that prompted Russia to launch its military operation in Ukraine in the first place.
