Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak and former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who are co-chairs of the International Working Group on Security Guarantees for Ukraine, held a briefing for representatives of leading German media on preparations for the Vilnius NATO Summit and provision of security guarantees for Ukraine.
The meeting was moderated by Nico Lange, Senior Advisor at Rasmussen Global, former Head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation's office in Ukraine.
"Our meeting today aims to give you some context and show you our position and vision of a number of issues, including the Ukrainian Peace Formula proposed by President Zelenskyy, as well as accession to NATO and security guarantees," the Head of the Presidential Office noted.
Andriy Yermak and Anders Fogh Rasmussen presented their views of the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius, Ukraine's expectations from the summit and its path to NATO membership.
In the context of expectations from the Vilnius Summit, the Head of the Presidential Office stated that Ukraine seeks to receive a clear invitation to join the Alliance under a simplified procedure.
"We understand that in the context of a large-scale war, it is impossible to give an exact date. But it will be possible when the security situation allows," he said.
According to Andriy Yermak, daily consultations and negotiations with partners are underway to make the upcoming summit effective for our country.
"Ukraine's position is that we expect to receive an invitation to simplified accession at the summit in July. But, importantly, we would like to receive an absolutely clear signal that would fix Ukraine's path to NATO membership. If we continue the open door policy now, we will send a bad signal to Russia that it can continue all the things it is doing in Ukraine every day," the Head of the Presidential Office emphasized.
Regarding Germany's position on Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration, he noted that our countries have long historical relations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Chancellor Olaf Scholz also have warm friendly and partnership relations.
"I believe that Germany can make a historic decision. We are ready to continue consultations and meet with our partners if there are any questions left. As for our position, we are confident in it," added Andriy Yermak.
Separately, the attention of media representatives was drawn to the proposals on security guarantees for Ukraine, which should be provided to our country on its way to full membership in NATO. Andriy Yermak and Anders Fogh Rasmussen noted that such proposals were set out in the draft Kyiv Security Compact, developed by experts of the International Working Group and published in September 2022.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen noted that at the Vilnius Summit, Ukraine should receive both security guarantees and a signal on the prospects of membership in the Alliance. He emphasized that he believes in providing security guarantees to Ukraine at the summit in July and expressed his belief that the future of the Ukrainian state lies in the Alliance, as Ukraine is currently building a new security architecture in Europe.
"We have to move towards a clear support package and talk about a framework of long-term security guarantees for Ukraine. NATO membership for Ukraine is also in focus. I believe that this time will come at the Vilnius Summit," said the former NATO Secretary General.
Speaking about defense support from partners, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine noted that the resilience of the Ukrainian people and the determination of the Armed Forces in the fight against the Russian aggressor encourage world leaders to increase the supply of weapons to our country.
"Every day, Ukrainians go to bed and are not sure whether they will wake up in the morning. But they stay here, at home. They come back. And this prompted our partners to provide us with means to protect the sky. And in other positions as well," stated Andriy Yermak.
In this context, he also noted that the weapons provided by Germany, including air defense systems, also help our people.
"This is a significant help. During his recent visit to Berlin and Aachen, President Zelenskyy personally thanked the German people, the Chancellor and the German Parliament for supporting Ukraine and helping us. Your weapons are working effectively on our battlefield, and, of course, we are extremely grateful and look forward to the continuation of this support," the Head of the Presidential Office said.