Czech President outlines two scenarios for possible security guarantees for Ukraine
Czech President Petr Pavel outlined two possible scenarios for providing Kyiv with security guarantees from its Western partners during the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius this July.
"I have heard about two types or scenarios of guarantees. One is using the guarantees that were provided to Finland from the very accession to ratification. The other approach to security assurances is the one that was applied to Israel. We will probably see something in between," Pavel said in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
According to the Czech president, he expects strong statements of support for Ukraine during the summit in July. He noted that he is watching a number of countries "agree on a long-term plan" to support Ukraine, which is based "not on one-off contributions, but on a carefully planned long-term procedure."
At the same time, Pavel noted that accession to the Alliance cannot start while the country is still at war, but he "strongly believes that all leaders will understand that having Ukraine on board both in NATO and EU is probably the only guarantee to ensure stability in the region" and will also serve as a deterrent to Russia and its "aggressive" policies.
Also during the briefing, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced plans to establish a NATO-Ukraine Council to coordinate efforts to strengthen cooperation between the Alliance and Ukraine.
"If the allies agree to establish the NATO-Ukraine Council that actually means then there would be 32 equals sitting around the same table at equal terms and it will be also a body that can make decisions... That would be a structure for much deeper cooperation, for making decisions together if all members of the Council agree. It will reflect a very strong strengthening of the political partnership between Ukraine and the NATO allies," stated Jens Stoltenberg.
Ukraine applied to join the North Atlantic Alliance on September 30, 2022. A number of world leaders recognize Ukraine's accession to NATO as a prerequisite for building sustainable peace in Europe for the next 50 years. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi has repeatedly stated that he expects a clear plan for Ukraine's membership in NATO and security guarantees from his partners within the framework of the European Political Community summit.