Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Declares He Lacks Explicit Security Pledge from Partner Nations
President Zelensky has stated that Ukraine's partners in Europe have not given him sound guarantees that they will protect his country in the event of a new Russian aggression.
"I am asking this very question to every one of our allies and I have not received a definitive and straightforward response yet," he told reporters on Wednesday.
His comments come a day after Britain and France signed a statement of purpose on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal to conclude the conflict with Moscow is reached.
However, full security guarantees have not been agreed. The United States, 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.
Details of the Paris Talks
After the Paris talks, which included some 30 countries that form the group termed the 'Coalition of the Willing', British PM Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "establish military hubs across Ukraine" to prevent any future incursion, while France's President Macron subsequently indicated a significant number of soldiers may be sent.
Partner nations suggested that the US would assume a leading role in monitoring a truce. But the key issue of ceding land 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 20% of Ukraine's land.
Zelensky's Shifting Tone
Sir Keir described the joint statement as "an essential component of our dedication to support Ukraine for the long-term".
He continued: "It establishes the pathway for the juridical structure under which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and regenerating Ukraine's military for the years to come."
The Ukrainian leader praised that accord as a "significant leap of progress".
Twenty-four hours afterward, however, he seemed more cautious.
"I see the will, the political will, and that the partners are ready, and the allies are willing to give us strong sanctions, powerful defense assurances," he said when asked if European countries would defend Ukraine.
"However, until we don't have such security guarantees - formally ratified, endorsed by legislatures, backed by the U.S. Congress - this crucial issue remains unresolved. And even if they do, you still have to rely first and foremost on your own strength."
Persistent Challenges and Fighting
The Paris talks were also notable due to the presence of envoys from former President Trump's administration, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff said the allies "mostly completed" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Recently, the President indicated a settlement was "90% ready".
Territorial concessions and defense pledges have been at the center of outstanding matters for negotiators.
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 conclude hostilities.
The Ukrainian President has thus far rejected ceding any territory, but has suggested that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an agreed point - but only if Russia reciprocated the action.
Russian forces currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the adjacent Luhansk region. The two regions constitute the Donbas industrial heartland.
Attacks have been escalating against Ukrainian cities - with a focus on power facilities. Moscow is also achieving incremental advances in seizing additional Ukrainian land.
Ukrainian forces have retaliated at objectives inside Russia with drones, though with more limited success.
