President of Ukraine

We are ready to start negotiations with Estonia on a bilateral security agreement as soon as possible – Ihor Zhovkva after meeting with Kyllike Sillaste-Elling

7 February 2024 - 20:44

We are ready to start negotiations with Estonia on a bilateral security agreement as soon as possible – Ihor Zhovkva after meeting with Kyllike Sillaste-Elling

Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva met with Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia Kyllike Sillaste-Elling.

Ihor Zhovkva thanked the Estonian side for the recent consensus of the EU leaders to create a new financial instrument for Ukraine – the Ukraine Facility worth €50 billion for 2024-2027. The Deputy Head of the Presidential Office informed his Estonian colleagues about Ukraine's next steps towards the actual opening of negotiations on EU membership.

The main focus was on the issue of providing our country with effective security commitments, as envisaged by the Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine adopted at the NATO Summit in Vilnius last July.

The participants of the meeting discussed the structure of the future bilateral security agreement and its thematic blocks. They agreed to start negotiations on its conclusion as soon as possible.

The Deputy Head of the Presidential Office noted Estonia's leadership in a number of priority areas.

"Thank you for your country's proactive stance on the use of frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's recovery, bringing the aggressor to justice, and the need to continue sanction pressure on the Russian Federation. We appreciate Estonia's leadership in the areas of IT and cybersecurity. The relevant provisions should be properly reflected in our future security agreement," emphasized Ihor Zhovkva.

The interlocutors also discussed the implementation of the Ukrainian Peace Formula and preparations for the Global Peace Summit. The Deputy Head of the Office of the President emphasized the importance of working together to organize the event, in particular, to involve as many countries of the Global South as possible.