MOSCOW, January 14. /TASS/. Ukraine and Romania have begun talks on an agreement on security guarantees, the office of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said.

"With the participation of Ukrainian presidential office head Andrey Yermak, the Ukrainian side has started bilateral talks with Romanian Foreign Ministry’s Secretary of State for Strategic Affairs Iulian Fota on a bilateral agfeement on security," it said, adding that these talks have raised "bilateral relations up to the level of strategic partnership."

According to the Ukrainian side, Romania is the ninth country to begin talks on security with Ukraine.

On January 12, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signed a bilateral agreement on security. Thus, London has become Kiev’s first Western partner to sign such an agreement.

On the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, the Group of Seven adopted a declaration on long-term security guarantees to Ukraine. More countries jointed the declaration later. In particular, the document promises a considerable military potential for Ukraine. Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov slammed this decision as erroneous and potentially dangerous.