Ukraine to conclude defense agreements with various countries after war, – Rubio
Photo: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (Getty Images)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that after the conflict ends, Ukraine has the right to conclude security agreements not only with the United States and European countries, according to his interview with Fox News.
The head of American diplomacy noted that any sovereign country in the world has the right to enter defense alliances with other nations. And this is not limited to NATO; the United States has such alliances with South Korea and Japan, while individual countries also sign similar agreements with each other.
"And so I think everyone would acknowledge – including, by the way, for the first time the Russian side under President Trump’s sort of pressure or suggestion – is that in fact a Ukraine post-conflict has a right to enter into security agreements with other countries," Rubio said.
He noted that the United States is currently coordinating with its European and non-European allies to establish such security guarantees.
"I think everyone understands that some of the key elements to bringing this about is Ukraine has to feel safe moving forward. In essence, they have to believe that at the end of this war, they are in a position to never get invaded again," the secretary of state emphasized.
Rubio insisted that the strongest security guarantee for Ukraine is a powerful army.
He also added that the United States no longer provides weapons to Ukraine free of charge; from now on, European countries are helping to purchase and supply them through NATO.
Security guarantees for Ukraine
Following the White House meeting on August 18, US President Donald Trump stated that Ukraine’s security guarantees would be developed by European allies in coordination with the United States.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the guarantees would be formalized within ten days.
According to the Financial Times, in exchange for these guarantees and financial assistance from European partners, Ukraine will commit to purchasing $100 billion worth of weapons and equipment, as well as signing a $50 billion agreement with American companies on drone production.
