Ex-NATO chief to reveal Ukraine's security proposal
A document detailing possible international security guarantees for Ukraine may be ready by the end of this month, Andrey Yermak, President Vladimir Zelensky’s chief of staff, revealed on Monday.
The proposals are being drawn up by an advisory group headed by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
"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 aides to the presidents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Hungary.
The Ukrainian official noted that he had already gone over the paper, touting it as “very powerful.”
Earlier this month, in a Guardian op-ed, Yermak said Ukraine was preparing recommendations on security guarantees. He signaled that while Kiev’s long-term goal remains NATO membership, what he termed “Russia’s current belligerence” makes accession difficult.
He believes Kiev needs legally binding guarantees from its partners for weapons deliveries, the exchange of intelligence, and the support of its 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.
