(Reuters) – Ukraine and the United States initiated talks on Thursday, with the goal of providing security guarantees for Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s chief of staff. These discussions are a result of the pledges made by the Group of Seven (G7) countries at last month’s NATO summit.
Ukraine was assured by the G7 that they would develop and uphold security guarantees, as well as assist in fortifying its military, in response to Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which has been occurring for the past 17 months.
The Ukrainian government views these talks as an interim step while awaiting their accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance. During the summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, NATO leaders offered support to Ukraine but withheld the possibility of membership until the conflict with Russia is resolved.
Andriy Yermak, the presidential chief of staff, shared on the Telegram messaging app that the agreement reached in Vilnius serves as “the foundation for working out corresponding bilateral agreements”. Yermak noted that it is significant for the United States, Ukraine’s largest strategic partner, to be the first country engaging in this process. He expressed hope that this process would create a successful model for other partners.
Members of the G7 have agreed to negotiate agreements individually with Ukraine.
Yermak reiterated Ukraine’s stance that these guarantees “will strengthen Ukraine along the path to future membership of the Euro-Atlantic community, including NATO and the European Union”.
While Yermak did not disclose the location of the talks or the participants involved, a photo accompanying his post displayed him seated at a table in what appeared to be the Ukrainian president’s office in the capital city of Kyiv.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; editing by Grant McCool)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
