Kyiv calls for soonest possible start of dialogue on int'l guarantees for Ukraine

KYIV. March 2 (Interfax) - A dialogue on international guarantees for Ukraine should be started and conducted as soon as possible, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the chief of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, said on Wednesday.

"Speaking about security guarantees for Ukraine on the part of the leading powers is absolutely realistic," Podolyak said on Wednesday, when asked by journalists how realistic it was to develop a mechanism of guarantees amid the dramatic escalation of tensions between the West and Russia.

"For example, Ukraine's accession to the European Union could be seen as an initial element of such guarantees. But a substantive dialogue on guarantees should be started and conducted as soon as possible. Our partners know for sure what exactly this implies. It's not the right time to disclose details publicly, but it's certainly the right to time to implement an efficient model of guarantees," Podolyak said.