Talks underway on Israeli-like security model for Ukraine, Duda tells WSJ
Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that Nato allies and partners are discussing the idea of providing Ukraine with security guarantees based on the Israeli model.
He said that an Israeli-style security agreement for Ukraine would give priority to arms transfers and advanced technology.
Duda also admitted that he had talked about this measure with US President Joe Biden during his visit to Poland in February.
He added that Russia must understand that Ukraine has these security guarantees and that they will not expire over time or as a result of war fatigue in the West.
Duda also said that such an agreement would not be linked to peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. According to WSJ sources, it would be connected with the process of Ukraine's striving for Nato membership, but at the same time it would not draw the Alliance into a conflict with Russia.
According to the Polish president, it is understandable that Ukraine cannot become a member of Nato when there is a war on its territory started by Russia. But, he added, it is equally clear that due to this war, Ukraine is modernising its military and moving towards Nato.
Fabrice Pothier, one of the co-authors of the original plan, a former senior Nato official and adviser to former Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said that under the proposal the US would serve as the main guarantor of the deal, with European Nato nations also participating.
The WSJ wrote that senior officials in several European capitals, including Paris and Berlin, said they agreed in principle with the plan.
The WSJ also reported that during the July Nato summit in Vilnius, the Ukraine-Nato Council would be established, which would serve as a gateway to Ukraine's future membership in the Alliance. Within this structure, Ukraine would have the right to convene council meetings and apply for assistance. Individual member states could respond to Kyiv's requests.
