French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that Ukraine needed to be given clear and strong security guarantees at a NATO summit in Lithuania in July.
"Vilnius must send a clear message to Ukraine and Ukrainians. I favour stronger, concrete very clear security guarantees," Macron told reporters after a European leaders summit in Moldova, adding he would hold talks on the issue with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Potsdam on June 7.
President Volodymr Zelenskiy had earlier told reporters he wanted clear guarantees if Kyiv was not given NATO membership in the immediate term.
"We have to give a long-term perspective to Ukraine. It is imperative that the Vilnius summit gives these immediate guarantees."
He did not elaborate on what sort of guarantees, but said it needed to be somewhere between what security guarantees Israel receives and full NATO membership.
Scholz told reporters that the guarantees should be designed in such a way that they give Ukraine the security it needs against the danger of being attacked. They were also needed to stabilise Ukraine, which would mean a commitment with regard to the establishment of defence capability on the part of Ukraine.
(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Chris Reese)
