MOSCOW, August 8. /TASS/. Kiev plans to begin consultations on security guarantees with the signatory nations of the Vilnius declaration within weeks, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Andrey Yermak, said on Tuesday.

"We have also agreed with all countries who signed the declaration in Vilnius and joined it to begin similar consultations," the presidential press service quoted him as saying. "They will begin this month or next month. Moreover, we hope the first agreements will be reached already by the end of this year."

On August 3, Yermak said that his country had begun consultations on security guarantees with the United States in a bid to develop a model for other partners.

On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11-12, the Group of Seven adopted a declaration on long-term security guarantees to Ukraine. The declaration grants that Kiev considerably increase its military capabilities. Later on, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that 12 more states, namely Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden, joined the initiative.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov slammed the declaration as an erroneous and potentially dangerous step.