By Alperen Aktas
ISTANBUL (AA) - Ukraine and its European partners have begun joint work in Kyiv on security guarantees and a peace framework, Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said on Saturday, as preparations intensify ahead of upcoming meetings of the Coalition of the Willing.
Umerov said the discussions involve the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andrii Hnatov; First Deputy Foreign Minister Serhii Kyslytsia; and presidential adviser Oleksandr Bevz, together with European national security advisers who arrived in Kyiv.
“The first block of the meeting focused on framework documents, in particular security guarantees and approaches to the peace plan, as well as the sequence of further joint steps,” Umerov said, adding that the aim is to ensure decisions are “realistic and backed by shared responsibility.”
Earlier, Umerov said national security advisers from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain, Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, Finland, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark arrived in Kyiv, along with representatives of NATO, the European Council and the European Commission, for what he described as an intensive working day focused on security, economic issues and coordination on framework documents.
Following the meeting, Hnatov said Ukraine has already conducted bilateral work with the United States at the level of general staffs and agreed on a separate military document, according to state-run Ukrinform news agency.
He said the document consists of four sections and annexes detailing support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including supply, restoration and modernization, as well as mechanisms for monitoring compliance and responding to potential violations.
“Now exactly the same work is being carried out with other partner countries, and one of the sections of the document concerns the activities of the Coalition of the Willing,” he added.
Kyslytsia said national security advisers will brief their leaders ahead of the Coalition of the Willing meeting scheduled in Paris on Jan. 6, with political approval of key elements expected within a short timeframe. He stressed that the draft texts do not violate Ukraine’s constitutional order or sovereignty and said no pressure was exerted on Kyiv during the discussions.
Presidential adviser Bevz said there were no differences of opinion with partners on how Ukraine can best protect its interests, adding that there were no problems in talks with European or American sides regarding territorial issues or the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
Kyslytsia cautioned, however, that a key challenge will be navigating national approval procedures in partner countries within a limited timeframe.
The talks in Kyiv are part of a series announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as US-mediated diplomatic efforts continue toward a settlement of the nearly four-year-long Russia-Ukraine war.
Zelenskyy has said the meeting of national security advisers marks the first such gathering held in Ukraine, with further talks planned between chiefs of general staff and later between European leaders and the Coalition of the Willing to strengthen support and confidence in security guarantees and a future peace agreement.