Zelensky Declares Absence of Explicit Defense Guarantee from European Partners
President Zelensky has stated that Ukraine's partners in Europe have not given him concrete pledges that they will protect his country in the case of a future Russian attack.
"I am asking this very question to every one of our allies and I have not received a clear, unambiguous answer yet," he told reporters on Wednesday.
These remarks follow a day after the UK and France signed a statement of purpose on deploying troops in Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement to end the war with Russia is finalized.
However, comprehensive defense assurances have yet to be solidified. The United States, which has been leading efforts to end the invasion, was reported to have abstained from signing such a pledge at discussions held in the French capital on the previous day.
Details of the Paris Talks
Following the negotiations in Paris, which included some 30 countries that form the so-called Coalition of the Willing, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "set up operational bases across Ukraine" to deter future invasion, while French President Emmanuel Macron subsequently indicated thousands of troops may be sent.
Partner nations suggested that the US would assume a leading role in overseeing any ceasefire. But the key issue of territorial concessions that Ukraine is being asked to grant to Russia as a component of the settlement terms are continuing to be negotiated.
The Russian government has not yet commented on the declaration made in the French capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Moscow now occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
The President's Evolving Stance
The UK Prime Minister characterized the bilateral declaration as "a vital part of our commitment to stand with Ukraine for the foreseeable future".
He continued: "It paves the way for the juridical structure under which allied military personnel could operate on Ukrainian soil, protecting Ukrainian airspace and waters, and regenerating Ukraine's military for the years to come."
The Ukrainian leader praised that agreement as a "significant leap of progress".
Twenty-four hours afterward, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I see the will, the political resolve, and that the partners are ready, and the allies are willing to give us robust economic measures, powerful defense assurances," he said when questioned if nations in Europe would come to Ukraine's aid.
"But as long as we lack such security guarantees - formally ratified, supported by parliaments, backed by the U.S. Congress - this crucial issue cannot be answered. And even if they do, you still have to rely primarily on your inherent capabilities."
Persistent Challenges and Fighting
The Paris talks were also significant owing to the attendance of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Witkoff said the participating countries "mostly completed" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Recently, the President indicated a peace deal was "ninety percent complete".
Territorial concessions and security guarantees have been at the center of unresolved issues for negotiators.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will seize it, dismissing potential concessions over how to conclude hostilities.
Zelensky has so far ruled out relinquishing any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could redeploy its forces to an agreed point - but only if Russia did the same.
Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk oblast, and some nearly all of the neighbouring Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the industrial Donbas region.
It has been intensifying attacks against Ukrainian cities - particularly targeting power facilities. Moscow is also achieving incremental advances in seizing additional Ukrainian land.
Ukraine has hit back at Russian targets with drones, though with more limited success.
