Ukraine produces draft agreement on security guarantees, urges allies to maintain sanctions against Russia

Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, and Anders Fogh Rasmussen, former general secretary of NATO, have released recommendations for guaranteeing Ukraine’s security, reports the Ukrainian leader’s press office.

The recommendations were developed by an expert group convened by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. They call for the creation of the “Kyiv Security Compact,” a document outlining strategic partnerships between Ukraine and the governments guaranteeing its security.

The agreement is not meant as a substitute for Ukraine’s entry into NATO, but as a security measure until that happens.

A main group of allies is expected to commit support for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, while a wider group will furnish non-military guarantees based on sanctions.

The recommendations include, among other things, the following guarantees:

• The ability to defend against an aggressor in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter. This requires allies’ investments in Ukraine’s military-industrial complex, large-scale arms transfers, and intelligence support, as well as joint exercises under the aegis of the EU and NATO.
• Preventative military, financial, infrastructural, technical, and informational measures to prevent new aggression.
• A sanctions package against aggressor nations, including measures to confiscate property from an aggressor country and its citizens who fall under such restrictions, as well as measures to use those assets as compensation for damage.
• Sanctions should last until Russia ceases to infringe on Ukraine’s security, guarantees that it will not attack Ukraine in the future, and repairs the damage done during the invasion.

Andriy Yermak said, “we should make the phrase ‘we can do it again’ cause Russians panic and bad memories. Their only response should be ’never again.’ To do this, we need military power strong enough to remove any desire for revenge, and capable of causing irreparable damage if that desire proves insurmountable.” 

During the latest round of talks in Istanbul, Ukraine offered to conclude a security guarantees treaty in exchange for not joining NATO or other alliances, assuming that security would be provided by the guarantor countries.

After delegations from the Russian Federation and Ukraine met in Istanbul, talks appeared essentially frozen. On September 11 Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN that he is not yet ready to negotiate with Vladimir Putin. He said he sees no desire on the Russian side to be constructive.

For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is not refusing to negotiate with Kyiv. He blamed Ukraine for delaying the process, remarking that “the longer they drag it out, the harder it will be for them to negotiate with us.”