Zelensky's office head lists Kiev's conditions for starting talks

MOSCOW. Feb 1 (Interfax) - President Vladimir Zelensky's goal is "one hundred percent restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders," Ukrainian media reported on Wednesday, citing head of the Ukrainian Presidential Office Andrei Yermak.

This formula could be the starting point of any talks, Yermak said a joint meeting of the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Subcommittee on Security and Defense. "All other proposals for any negotiations [...] are a sheer propaganda," Office of the Ukrainian President quoted him as saying in a statement.

"Under President Zelensky, and I am sure this is the position of the Ukrainian people, there will be no new Minsk [agreements] and no new Normandy formats. This should be clearly understood," Yermak said.

Zelensky presented Ukraine's peace formula which is based on and prioritizes international nuclear, energy, food, environmental, and military security at the G20 summit last November, he said.

For his part, former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said that one of the points of the peace formula is a system of reliable guarantees that would ensure Ukraine's independence and territorial integrity in the long term.

"These guarantees do not replace Ukraine's aspiration to join NATO. This decision will be made by the Ukrainian people. But NATO membership takes a long time, and the Kyiv Security Compact is something that can be implemented now," Rasmussen is quoted as saying in the statement.

Proposals on providing security guarantees to Ukraine imply having strong armed forces, allowing Ukraine to defend itself, Rasmussen said. This requires the support of Ukraine's partners as part of the Kiev Security Compact, which should take on appropriate commitments, he said.

Rasmussen believes that it is necessary to "avoid the mistakes of the past." "Previous security guarantees for Ukraine proved to be useless, including the infamous Budapest Memorandum. The Kyiv Security Compact does the opposite. It provides positive guarantees: practical material support to enhance Ukraine's ability to defend itself," Rasmussen said.