Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Asserts Absence of Explicit Security Pledge from Partner Nations
President Zelensky has stated that Ukraine's partners in Europe have not given him solid assurances that they will protect his country in the event of a future Russian attack.
"I am asking this very question to all our partners and I have not received a clear, unambiguous answer yet," he told reporters on midweek.
His comments come a day after Britain and France inked a statement of purpose on stationing forces in Ukraine if a peace deal to conclude the conflict with Moscow is finalized.
However, comprehensive defense assurances have yet to be solidified. The US, which has been leading efforts to end the invasion, was reported to have abstained from signing such a pledge at talks in Paris on Tuesday.
Outcomes from the Paris Discussions
Following the negotiations in Paris, which involved 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.
Allies proposed that the US would take the lead in overseeing any ceasefire. But the key issue of ceding land that Ukraine is being asked to grant to Russia as part of the peace proposals are continuing to be negotiated.
The Russian government has thus far remained silent on the declaration made in the French capital.
President Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Russian forces currently controls about one-fifth of Ukraine's land.
The President's Evolving Stance
The UK Prime Minister characterized the bilateral declaration as "an essential component of our commitment to support Ukraine for the long-term".
He added: "It establishes the pathway for the juridical structure under which allied military personnel could operate on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's military for the future."
Zelensky hailed that agreement as a "huge step forward".
A day later, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I see the will, the political will, and that the allies are prepared, and the partners are ready to give us strong sanctions, strong security guarantees," he said when asked if nations in Europe would come to Ukraine's aid.
"But as long as we lack such security guarantees - legally binding, endorsed by legislatures, supported by the United States Congress - this question remains unresolved. And even if they do, you must ultimately depend primarily on your inherent capabilities."
Unresolved Issues and Ongoing Conflict
The Paris talks were also significant owing to the presence of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff said the allies "largely finished" their work on agreeing security protocols.
Recently, the President indicated a peace deal was "ninety percent complete".
Questions of land and security guarantees have been at the center of outstanding matters for diplomats.
Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukraine's military must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise over how to end the war.
Zelensky has so far ruled out relinquishing any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could redeploy its forces to an established line - but only if Russia reciprocated the action.
Moscow now holds about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The pair of oblasts constitute the Donbas industrial heartland.
It has been intensifying attacks against cities in Ukraine - with a focus on energy infrastructure. Russia has also made slow progress in capturing more Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine has hit back at objectives inside Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles, albeit with varying degrees of effectiveness.
