President's Office: Discussions on future EU security guarantees for Ukraine have started

Negotiations on future EU security commitments for Ukraine have begun on the instruction of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the President's Office announced on Dec. 4.

Deputy Presidential Office head Ihor Zhovkva sat down with Charles Fries, the Deputy Secretary General for Peace, Security and Defense of the European External Action Service.

"Ukraine's future membership in the EU serves as a robust assurance of security for our nation and the European community as a whole. We greatly appreciate that at this stage we are already discussing concrete steps to enhance our collective security and strengthen Ukraine's resilience," said Zhovkva.

He also thanked the EU for the military support Ukraine has already received so far.

The Group of Seven (G7) members presented their long-term security commitments for Ukraine at the NATO summit in Vilnius in early July.

Under this plan, individual countries would provide bilateral support to help Kyiv repel the ongoing Russian invasion and deter any future aggression.

The security guarantees would entail explicit and long-lasting obligations, as well as bolster Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression. The guarantees would also cover sanctions, financial aid, and post-war reconstruction.

Around 30 countries have so far joined the security guarantees declaration.

Ukraine has said that the best security guarantee would be for it to become a full-fledged NATO member after Russia's war ends.