MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Ukraine sees no sense in talking about peace until security guarantees for the country are clearly formulated, Igor Zhovkva, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Wednesday.
"Without security guarantees, without a clear understanding by Ukraine and our partners in Europe and the United States of what these guarantees mean for Ukraine and the entire European continent, it makes no sense to talk about other issues within the framework of the negotiation process aimed at establishing sustainable peace, which everyone is talking about," Zhovkva said in an interview with Ukraine’s Rada television channel.
He also stated that the security guarantees should include both military and political elements, but did not specify whether Ukraine expected European military forces to be deployed on Ukrainian territory.
"Let's not step on the toes of the military here, as they are negotiating this issue at the moment," the Ukrainian official continued, adding that security guarantees should include political considerations as well.
"The political track is equally important, and national security advisers will discuss that in the near future.... An important part of the political guarantees is Ukraine's membership in the European Union," he continued.
"There is only one country that blocks Ukraine's membership in the European Union, and this issue has also been discussed," Zhovkva noted.
Among other possible guarantees, Zhovkva named the safeguarding of the Ukrainian army in terms of its size and weapons equipment, as well as the development of the country’s military-industrial complex.
Following his visit to Washington on August 18, Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky announced that plans were underway to formulate and put on paper security guarantees for his country by the end of August.
The Euractiv news outlet reported earlier in the day, citing sources familiar with the negotiations, that Kiev's European allies plan to draft a document on security guarantees for Ukraine by next week.
According to the unnamed sources, national security advisors plan to prepare a framework draft of the document next week ahead of a possible conversation between EU leaders and US President Donald Trump. The sources said that a framework for security guarantees is being worked out in preparation for a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky.
On August 19, two meetings on Ukraine took place - a teleconference of the leaders of the Coalition of the Willing, and an online EU summit. Both events discussed the Russia-US summit in Alaska, Trump's talks with Zelensky and several European heads of state, as well as security guarantees for Ukraine after the end of hostilities.