Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak held a meeting with representatives of Ukrainian and foreign media to discuss the recent foreign visits of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his participation in the NATO Summit in Vilnius.
According to Andriy Yermak, the NATO Summit clearly declared that Ukraine would become a NATO member. In addition, as emphasized by the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, the decision was made during the Summit to lift the MAP for Ukraine, which will simplify the accession procedure. The NATO-Ukraine Council was also launched, which is a tool for Ukraine's future integration into the Alliance. As Andriy Yermak emphasized, its work should be filled with content already today and the ground should be prepared for the next NATO Summit in Washington in 2024.
According to the Head of the President's Office, the long-awaited decision on security guarantees for Ukraine on its way to NATO, which the Ukrainian side had been working on for many months, involving international experts and representatives of partner states, was also of great importance. Eventually, in the margins of the Vilnius Summit, the G7 countries and the European Union agreed on a Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine, which was joined by 10 more countries in a few days: Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Belgium, and Portugal. As the document is open, our country expects that a number of other countries will join it soon.
Andriy Yermak noted that the next step will be to conclude a series of bilateral security treaties containing the most specific and long-term obligations of each state, taking into account the specifics of national legislation, which will ensure Ukraine's ability to defend itself today and deter any new aggression in the future.
At the same time, he emphasized that these security guarantees are not an alternative to Ukraine's membership in NATO, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly emphasized.
The Head of the President's Office added that during the Vilnius Summit, the Ukrainian side had frank and reasoned conversations with all our partners. Ukraine received new powerful military assistance packages from many countries.
"Today, everyone is talking about Ukraine's victory. And everyone is trying to help in a way that will not only support but accelerate our victory," he said.
The Head of the President's Office called the meeting between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joseph Biden important, where the White House leader, in particular, confirmed that Ukraine would become a NATO member and assured that the United States would support our country for as long as it takes.
"Today, Ukraine and the United States are friends and strategic partners. Our task is to maintain the support of the American people so that they know the truth and understand what we are fighting for," emphasized Andriy Yermak.
In addition, it was noted that even during the war, Ukraine continues reforms, the fight against corruption, de-oligarchization, reform of the judicial system, etc.
Andriy Yermak also told journalists about the results of the President's recent visits to Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Türkiye.
The Head of the President's Office noted that active preparations for the upcoming Global Peace Summit and the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula are underway, and new states, including extremely important countries of the Global South, are constantly joining this process.
Andriy Yermak emphasized that Ukraine is open to all proposals and conversations with all those who respect the just desire for peace, freedom, independence and territorial integrity, but the discussion should be based on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula.
The Head of the President's Office once again emphasized that any thought about the prospect of any negotiations with Russia is only possible when all Russian troops are withdrawn from the sovereign territory of Ukraine.