Ukraine, Netherlands start talks on bilateral security guarantees agreement.

Ukraine and the Netherlands have started negotiations on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees under the Group of 7 (G7) Joint Declaration of Support for Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Presidential Office, the first round of consultations occurred on the sidelines of the Ukraine peace formula summit in Malta on Oct.

28. The peace formula two-day meeting has brought together representatives from over 65 nations to discuss the implementation of lasting peace in Ukraine.

Nations attending include G7 countries, South Africa, India, Qatar, Turkey, and other representatives of Global South. The Malta summit follows a series of international peace formula gatherings hosted in different countries, including Denmark in June and Saudi Arabia in August.

'We can't allow Putin to prevail,' says Speaker Johnson after being elected, but his track record says opposite Representative Mike Johnson, elected speaker of the U.S.

House of Representatives on Oct.

25, has been deemed bad news for Ukraine. Johnson regularly voted against aid for Ukraine and was backed by the Ukraine-skeptic hard-right in his bid for speakership after the weeks-long scramble to replace th...

"It is symbolic that we started security consultations with the Netherlands precisely during the third meeting of national security advisors on the Ukrainian peace formula because one of the formula's elements is to prevent the escalation of war and the repetition of aggression," Yermak said. "The Netherlands is a reliable partner of Ukraine in making our joint victory closer."

The Netherlands has become the sixth country after the U.S., U.K., Canada, Japan, and France and the first non-member of G7 to start bilateral talks with Ukraine on security guarantees. The Ukrainian and Dutch delegations reportedly discussed their cooperation in the military field, Ukraine's economic recovery, joint efforts to bring Russia to justice, the sanctions regime, and the use of frozen Russian assets.

EU leaders endorse plan to use frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine, but fight not over Ukraine may have gotten one step closer to gaining access to frozen Russian assets to put toward its massive reconstruction needs.

European Union leaders on Oct.

27 expressed support for a proposal to use billions of euros in windfall taxes from Russian assets tied up in the West to rebuild