On behalf of the President of Ukraine and the head of the presidential office, a deputy head of the presidential office, Ihor Zhovkva, has started the first round of consultations with the Deputy Secretary-General for Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response in the European External Action Service, Charles Fries, on the EU's collective security guarantees, the presidential office reports.
During the consultations, the parties exchanged views on approaches to future EU security guarantees with a focus on the security and defence segment.
Zhovkva said that Ukraine's future membership of the EU is already a powerful security guarantee for Ukraine and the European community as a whole.
He also noted the significant contribution of the European Union to strengthening the security and defence capabilities of Ukraine, in particular by supporting the Armed Forces through the European Peace Fund and the activities of the EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine.
Tomorrow, EU ambassadors will begin debates on Ukraine's EU membership negotiations. The meeting is the beginning of preparations for the EU leaders' summit on 14-15 December, which will decide on the prospects for the integration of Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Bosnia.