France announced its readiness to provide security guarantees to Ukraine

France is discussing long-term support for Ukraine with NATO partners, Paris is ready to conclude an agreement with Kiev on security guarantees. About it says in the message of the French Foreign Ministry, published on the agency’s website.

“France is ready to conclude agreements with Ukraine on the provision of security guarantees that will help it protect itself in the long term,” the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Thus, the department answered the question about the possibility of providing security guarantees to Kyiv. Formerly The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) informedthat the United States, France and Germany are discussing guarantees for Ukraine aimed at strengthening the defense capability and sovereignty. At the same time, there is no talk of Ukraine joining NATO, the newspaper said.

The WSJ, citing sources, also wrote that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will take part in the NATO summit in Lithuania in July, where the alliance is expected to create a new body – the Ukraine-NATO Council. The publication notes that it will become Ukraine’s “pass” to NATO.

Ukraine is not a member of NATO, at the same time it has the status of a “NATO partner country”, which means Ukraine’s close cooperation with the alliance, the military bloc’s website says. Earlier, the leaders of Western countries have repeatedly said that there is no talk of Ukraine’s membership in NATO in the near future, now the members of the alliance are focused on helping Kyiv. In particular, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz pointed outthat Ukraine does not meet many of the criteria for joining the bloc.

December 2021 Russia handed over US and NATO draft agreements on safeguards and security. In them, Moscow demanded that the United States refuse to expand the alliance to the east, and also refuse to admit countries that were previously part of the USSR to NATO. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged West immediately give specific security guarantees.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special operation in Ukraine. The President of the Russian Federation called the protection of the inhabitants of Donbass, as well as the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, its goals. Subsequently, Putin repeatedly noted that one of the reasons for the special operation was NATO’s plans to expand “at the expense of Ukraine.”