Russia seeking to have its backers among Ukraine's security guarantors by insisting on including Belarus - Ukrainian presidential office chief

KYIV. April 11 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Russia is seeking to have its supporters among countries to guarantee Ukraine's security in the future by insisting, in particular, on including Belarus in it, Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the Ukrainian presidential office chief, said last Saturday.

"This is their negotiating position. They're proposing Belarus. Belarus and Russia are allied states. It's understandable that Russia wants to fill this package of guarantor countries with its supporters," Podolyak said during a national TV marathon.

He insisted that what Russia has said regarding the negotiations should be treated precisely as its negotiating position, while Ukraine has its own considerations regarding countries that would act as guarantors of its security in the future.

"It's important for us to make sure there are powerful [United Nations] Security Council members among the guarantors, which have strong armies with a nuclear component. And these would be countries that would stand by Ukraine in terms of security guarantees," he said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said earlier that Russia wishes to see Belarus among the countries acting as guarantors of Ukraine's security.

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