In accordance with the instructions of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, the Head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, held a video conference meeting with ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions regarding the implementation of agreements on providing security guarantees to Ukraine based on the Joint Declaration of the leaders of the "Group of Seven" and Ukraine, adopted in Vilnius on July 12.
The meeting was attended by representatives of diplomatic institutions from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Albania, Belgium, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Greece, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Finland, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Sweden, Poland, Slovakia, Turkey, and the European Union.
Deputy Heads of the Office of the President Igor Zhovkva and Roman Mashovets, Minister of Defense Rustem Umeryov, Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamishin, Head of the Security Service Vasil Malyuk, Head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Oleksandr Lytvynenko, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mykola Tochytskyi, and advisors to the Head of the Office of the President Daria Zarevna and Oleksandr Bevz also joined the event.
Andriy Yermak emphasized that 31 countries had joined the Joint Declaration. In particular, bilateral consultations on agreements providing security guarantees to Ukraine have started with all "Group of Seven" countries, the Netherlands, and the European Union. The Head of the President's Office noted that France, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom had submitted drafts of relevant agreements. Additionally, according to Andriy Yermak, 15 countries expressed readiness to start consultations on concluding bilateral agreements to provide security guarantees to Ukraine.
Andriy Yermak announced that out of the 27 European Union countries, only six (Austria, Croatia, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary) have not yet joined the Joint Declaration. Additionally, five out of the 31 NATO countries have not joined the declaration: Turkey, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Croatia. Andriy Yermak called for encouragement to persuade these states to join this crucial document.
"The declaration, signed in Vilnius, provides not only for bilateral agreements but also the possibility of concluding multilateral agreements on security guarantees. Security in the Black Sea is one of the promising topics," he said.
The Head of the Office of the President noted that Ukraine is ready to move from consultations to bilateral negotiations with countries to conclude agreements on security guarantees. Andriy Yermak emphasized the importance of the legally binding nature and subsequent ratification of the relevant agreements.
