Ukraine holds consultations with EU on security guarantees

Under the direction of the President of Ukraine and the head of the President's Office, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Ihor Zhovkva initiated the initial round of discussions with the Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service for Peace, Security, and Defense Charles Fries regarding the EU's pledge for collective security.

The Office of the President reported this.

These consultations took place in developing the G7 Joint Declaration on Support for Ukraine, dated July 12, 2023.

 "Ukraine's future membership in the EU is a powerful guarantee of security for our state and the European community in general. We highly appreciate that already, at this stage, we are discussing concrete steps to strengthen our common security and strengthen the stability of Ukraine," Ihor Zhovkva said.

During the consultations, the parties exchanged visions of approaches to future EU security guarantees with an emphasis on the security and defense segment.

The deputy head of the President's Office noted the European Union's significant contribution to strengthening our country's security and defense capabilities, particularly by supporting Ukraine's armed forces through the European Peace Fund and the activities of the EU Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine.

On behalf of the President of Ukraine, Ihor Zhovkva presented Charles Fries with a state award – Order of Merit, III degree, which honored him for his significant contribution to strengthening and supporting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

For reference:

A summit of NATO countries took place in Vilnius on July 11 and 12, one of the main topics of which was Ukraine.

In the final communique of the summit, published on the Alliance's website, the heads of state and government of the North Atlantic Alliance recognized Ukraine's progress on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration. They confirmed that Ukraine's future lies with NATO.

In addition, NATO heads of state and government agreed to drop the requirement for a Membership Action Plan for Ukraine. They said they would invite Ukraine to join the Alliance after "fulfilling the conditions."

In addition, 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.

It should be noted that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, believes that the members of the North Atlantic Alliance can provide Ukraine with several security guarantees, such as providing the country with the necessary weapons, before it joins NATO.

As Zelensky reported, as of August 2, 12 countries have already joined the Group of Seven's joint declaration on the so-called "security guarantees" for Ukraine.

Earlier, Rubryka reported that negotiations had begun with Italy regarding the conclusion of a bilateral agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine, as stipulated by the Joint Declaration of the G7 countries.