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EU may offer security guarantees to Ukraine following summit — FT

The newspaper reports that the text of the declaration may change while its authors will take account of "defense policy of certain member states," referring to the neutral status of some EU countries

LONDON, June 29. /TASS/. A group of EU member countries led by France is working on a draft of a declaration on "security commitments" to Ukraine and would like to approve it at the June 29-30 EU summit, Financial Times (FT) reported on Thursday.

According to the newspaper’s sources, the draft was prepared by France. It "is aimed at sending a very clear political signal to Ukraine and Russia." It is presumed that the declaration would allow the EU to participate in creating a security system for Ukraine, including in cooperation with NATO. The draft mentions that EU countries "stand ready to contribute, together with partners, to future security commitments to Ukraine, which will help Ukraine defend itself in the long term, deter acts of aggression and resist destabilization efforts".

The newspaper reports that the text of the declaration may change while its authors will take account of "defense policy of certain member states," referring to the neutral status of some EU countries. For instance, the current project met resistance from Austria, Ireland and Malta, which want clarity on what the "security commitments" to the Kiev regime would entail.

"For better or worse the outcome [of the Ukrainian counteroffensive] is going to impact everything we do regarding Ukraine, and we are all aware of that," said an anonymous senior European diplomat. "Funding, support, political engagement… and most importantly the peace talks that are coming whether we like them or not," he added.

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