Ukraine, Nov 18 (UNI) Ukraine and Germany have started the first round of negotiations on bilateral security guarantees, the Ukrainian presidential office said, adding that the sides have agreed on a plan of further actions.
“Upon instructions of the President of Ukraine and the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine the first round of negotiations with the Federal Republic of Germany on bilateral security commitments has started today, as envisaged by the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, adopted on 12 July 2023 in Vilnius,” the presidential office said in a statement on Friday.
The deputy head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, Ihor Zhovkva, headed the country’s negotiating team, the statement read.
“During the negotiations, the parties exchanged their vision of the future bilateral security commitments, their format and content, and agreed on a plan of further actions,” the statement said.
Germany has joined five other G7 member states in negotiating the security guarantees issue with Ukraine, the statement added.
On Tuesday, the head of Zelenskyy’s office, Andriy Yermak, discussed the next steps in providing security guarantees to Kiev with the advisers of the leaders of the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and France in Washington.
Zelenskyy’s office said the sides continued the dialogue on the conclusion of bilateral agreements on security guarantees within the framework of the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine adopted by the G7 countries in Vilnius.
On July 12, the G7 member states unveiled the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, which provides for the provision of additional military equipment, expanded intelligence sharing and new training programs for the Ukrainian military, as well as the development of industrial capacity.
In August, Zelenskyy said he was preparing a package of security guarantees for the period when Ukraine is not part of NATO.
Kiev plans to sign a number of bilateral agreements with the US and 12 European countries in the near future, including with Belgium, Denmark, the Czech Republic and several other nations, the Ukrainian president added.