Podolyak reacts to Russian proposal to invite Belarus to be a guarantor country
Denis Karlovskyy– Friday 8 April 2022, 17:39
Mykhailo Podolyak. Photo: Getty Images
Mykhailo Podolyak, a member of the Ukrainian negotiating team, has reacted to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s suggestion by saying that proposals may be submitted that might not appear in the final text.
Source: Podolyak in comments to Ukrainska Pravda
Direct quote from Podolyak: "In any negotiation process, each side may state its demands, in other words, put forward its vision.
We suggested certain democratic countries with powerful armies as potential guarantors. The Russian Federation suggested Belarus, among other countries. As I understand it, this was based on the premise that Belarus is an ally that will always support any Russian initiative.
But I repeat – the parties’ proposals may differ. What matters is the final, mutually agreed text."
Background:
- On 8 April, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Belarus should be among Ukraine’s security guarantors.
- On 7 April Lavrov said that the Ukrainian negotiating team had moved away from proposals discussed during the round of talks held on 29 March. The Office of the Ukrainian President responded that the Russian authorities were provoking the Ukrainian side so as to apply pressure.
- In the context of an agreement with Russia, Ukraine has proposed an agreement on international security guarantees for Ukraine that would be similar to NATO’s collective security mechanism. In the case of an attack or aggression against Ukraine, all guarantor countries would have to participate in Ukraine’s defence and provide tangible assistance.
- According to the Ukrainian negotiators, these countries should include permanent members of the UN Security Council, plus Canada, Germany, Italy, Poland, Israel and Turkey.
In an interview with Turkish journalists, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the advisers of the leaders of seven countries were willing to discuss the content of the international agreement on security guarantees, namely the USA, the UK, Turkey, Poland, Germany, France and Israel.
