On the instructions of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, negotiations with Italy have begun on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine, as provided for in the G7 Joint Declaration. This was reported by the press service of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian negotiating team was reportedly headed by Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ihor Zhovkva.

"Ukraine has already started bilateral consultations with all G7 countries, including Italy. Italy will chair the Group of Seven next year. We appreciate the significant contribution of our Italian friends to the defense of Ukraine and the approach of a joint victory. Italy's provision of security guarantees to Ukraine will be an important step towards our country's membership in the EU and NATO," emphasized Zhovkva.

The interlocutors discussed approaches to the content and format of the future bilateral agreement and agreed on a schedule for further communication.

As a reminder, the G7 countries on July 11-12 in Vilnius signed a declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine, which will help prevent a repeat invasion of Russia before Ukraine becomes a NATO member.