Kiev, 19 August 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The Ukrainian leadership says it sees progress in its quest for Western security guarantees against future aggression by Russia, according to comments made on Friday evening by President Volodymyr Zelensky in his nightly video address.

Zelensky spoke of a "diplomatic success," noting that 18 states had joined the declaration of the Group of Seven (G7) leading industrial nations on such security guarantees. He did not give details.

Looking ahead to his country's Independence Day on Thursday, Zelensky said Ukraine had taken a step forward in becoming part of the strongest states in the world. The war-ravaged country has been defending itself with the help of the West for almost 18 months against Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022.

On Independence Day this year, the war will have lasted exactly a year and a half.

The head of the presidential office in Kiev, Andrii Yermak, announced on the Telegram news channel that negotiations for security guarantees were underway with the United States and Britain.

Talks with other G7 countries should also begin soon. The first bilateral agreements should be signed by the end of the year, he said.

It was a matter of not allowing a new war or a repetition of Moscow's aggression after the end of the Russian invasion, he said.

Zelensky and Yermak stressed on Friday that work on the "peace formula" was continuing. A core goal is the withdrawal of Russian troops before the start of possible negotiations. Russia rejects this as unrealistic.

According to Zelensky, 63 diplomatic missions are now working on his "peace formula." The number of participating ambassadors from different states is increasing, Yermak also said. He expects a new meeting of the states' security advisers within a month to prepare a peace summit.

According to Yermak's earlier statements, the summit is to be organized by the end of the year and a venue is being sought.

At a second summit, Russia should also be involved. The presidential office in Kiev says it hopes that Russia will have capitulated by then.

Photo: archive