German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a press conference on Wednesday that he expects Kyiv and Berlin to agree on security guarantees “soon”, Kyiv Independent reports.
The Big Seven (G7) and several other partners have pledged to provide security guarantees to Ukraine through bilateral treaties. Britain was the first to conclude such an agreement during the visit of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Kyiv on January 12.
The last round of consultations on security guarantees between Ukraine and Germany took place in December 2023. The parties discussed the key points of the future bilateral agreement and its legal framework.
According to the chancellor, he will soon resume negotiations with President Volodymyr Zelensky on this topic.
“I guess we’ll be done with it soon,” Scholz said. “I feel that we are close to the final stage of negotiations.”
He added that Germany will support Ukraine as long as it is needed, and reminded of Berlin’s commitment to provide military aid to Ukraine in the amount of more than seven billion euros in 2024.
Scholz also called on other EU member states to strengthen support for Kyiv in the context of Russian aggression.
Germany supported Ukraine with arms and equipment since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, eventually becoming the second largest donor of military aid after the United States.
Earlier this month, Berlin announced the first transfer of military helicopters to Ukraine.
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron also announced that he would sign a bilateral military agreement with Ukraine next month during his upcoming visit to Kyiv.
Romania became the 9th country to start bilateral security talks with Ukraine, and reaffirmed its direct support for the independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as its European and Euro-Atlantic course.
According to the deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Ihor Zhovkva, it is impossible to imagine full security guarantees in Europe, especially in the Black Sea region, without Romania.
Source: Hot News
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