EU President: Support for giving Ukraine security guarantees

There is support for giving security guarantees to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement.

That is what the EU’s president, António Costa, says in a post on the social media platform X.

The announcement comes after a meeting in Paris, where the issue was discussed by the countries that support Ukraine.

“We are ready to commit to a system of political and legally binding guarantees that will be activated when a ceasefire comes into force,” says Costa.

However, it remains an open question when there will be a peace agreement. And not least whether Russia will accept that Ukraine receives the guarantees as part of the agreement.

António Costa states that the EU will also contribute to the planned guarantees, which are to ensure a “long-lasting” peace.

In that connection, EU membership for Ukraine is central to “the country’s future prosperity,” Costa states.

At the EU summit in December, 24 of the 27 EU countries also agreed to give Ukraine a loan of 90 billion euros.

This is to ensure that Ukraine can keep itself running over the next two years. However, it requires additional support from other countries.

“Part of these funds will support Ukraine’s armed forces, which constitute the first line of defense against the aggression,” says António Costa.

According to Costa, the goal is for Ukraine to be “in the strongest possible position before, during and after a ceasefire.”

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also advocated EU membership for Ukraine as a central part of the country’s security guarantees ahead of the meeting.

“Today, strong unity for Ukraine was shown in Paris at the meeting between the leaders of the coalition of willing countries from EU member states, NATO allies and Ukraine’s friends. Our joint declaration sends a clear message. We stand united behind Ukraine, and a safe and prosperous future lies ahead,” says von der Leyen on the social media platform X.