Romania has become one of the main partners of Ukraine, and Kyiv wants to sign an agreement on security cooperation with Bucharest, Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi, said in an interview with TVR Moldova.

This statement was made after a month ago in Davos, the Ukrainian presidency announced that Ukraine had started negotiations with Romania on a bilateral security agreement in Davos.

Zelenskyi’s chief of staff Andrii Yermak and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania Iulian Fota are participating in the negotiations.

Podoliak: Romania has provided us with immeasurable support

“We will be able to discuss the details of such agreements when the parties reach the final text, but we can talk about two substrates of this agreement,” Podoliak said in an interview with TVR Moldova.

“First of all, regarding Romania, I want to tell you that it has done a lot for Ukraine and continues to do since the first day of the total Russian invasion. Romania is one of the most active countries in South-Eastern Europe and in terms of logistics and resources to help Ukraine. Bucharest has always emphasized a warm, friendly attitude towards Ukraine from the economic, financial and humanitarian points of view. Today, we want these relations of strategic partnership and security guarantees to be enshrined in the Agreement, and this is happening not only with Bucharest, but also with other states,” Zelenskyi’s adviser said.

“With this Agreement, we want to consolidate bilateral relations from a legal point of view, primarily in cooperation in the field of military industry. We want to understand with which state we can cooperate, where we can have joint investments, where we can get military equipment and in what quantities, or even other resources that can help us in coordinating and building the national defense system. Such a negotiation process also takes place in relations with Romania, which, I would like to note, has provided Ukraine with immeasurable support since the first day of the Russian invasion. Military, financial, logistical support,” he added.

Romania has never publicly disclosed how much military aid it has sent to Ukraine during the nearly two years of war, sparking controversy and speculation in the country. Kyiv has repeatedly expressed gratitude for the support received, most recently on Tuesday, when an important institution in Ukraine thanked “Romanian friends” “for “15 military convoys sent.”

What security agreements does Ukraine want

Ukraine is in talks with a growing group of countries on bilateral agreements on security commitments as it seeks to achieve its strategic goal of joining NATO and seeks foreign aid to fight Russian encroachment, Reuters reported.

The G7 countries signed a joint statement at the NATO summit in Vilnius last July, pledging to establish “long-term security commitments and agreements” with Ukraine, which will be discussed on a bilateral basis.

The agreements will provide for the continuation of the provision of military and security assistance, support for the development of Ukraine’s defense and industrial base, training of the Ukrainian military, cooperation in the field of intelligence, as well as support against cyber attacks.

Replacement of joining NATO?

The parties will also immediately hold consultations with Ukraine to determine “appropriate next steps” in the event of a “future Russian armed attack.” Since then, more than 30 countries have signed the declaration.

Kyiv says the agreements must contain important and specific security commitments, but the agreements will in no way replace its strategic goal of joining NATO, an alliance whose Article 5 states that any attack on one of its 31 members would be considered an attack on everyone.

“There have been suggestions that once enough of these deals are done, we no longer need membership. Fake. We need NATO membership,” said Ihor Zhovkva, adviser to the President of Ukraine on foreign affairs.

Who has signed up so far?

In January, Britain became the first country to sign one of the 10-year security agreements with Ukraine, during which Kyiv hopes to join NATO.

London said the agreement formalized the support that Britain “has provided and will continue to provide to Ukraine’s security, including information sharing, cyber security, medical and military training and defense industrial cooperation.”

Under the deal, Britain pledged to consult with Kyiv within 24 hours if Ukraine faced a future armed attack from Russia, and to provide “quick and sustained” security assistance.

London will provide “modern military equipment in all fields, if necessary, and economic assistance; will impose economic and other costs on Russia,” the document says.

Zhovkva noted that there are additions to the British agreement that are not made public: “There are also annexes to the agreement that are completely secret. These applications define the exact scope, specific things, specific areas. And they, unfortunately, will not be known either to the public or to the aggressor, but they are there.”

Which other countries will also have agreements with Kyiv

Ukraine had at least two rounds of negotiations on agreements with all G7 countries, Zhovkva said. More countries are in active discussions or may start soon, he added.

Among them are the Netherlands, Romania, Poland and Denmark. France and Germany also appear to be closing in on security commitments with Ukraine soon.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi will sign a security agreement between the two countries on Friday at the Elysee Palace, AFP reported on Thursday from the French presidency.

“This agreement is part of the continuation of the commitments made in the G7 format on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023,” the French presidency said.

h2. What does Ukraine want from these agreements?

Zhovkva singled out as a “very important” provision of the British agreement that consultations can take place within 24 hours to provide quick and sustainable assistance.

She noted that this provision goes further than the “infamous” Budapest memorandum of 1994, according to which Ukraine received security “guarantees” from Great Britain, Russia and the United States in exchange for giving up nuclear weapons on its territory.

“We do not want a repetition of the infamous experience of the Budapest statement, which remained just a statement,” said Zelenskyi’s adviser on foreign affairs.

Zhovkva noted that Ukraine does not need to rush to reach agreements: “I don’t need 10-15 agreements concluded within a week. Rather, I would like these 10-15 agreements to be carefully thought out, well coordinated and with concrete examples of long-term and diversified support for Ukraine.”