Zelensky Asserts He Lacks Explicit Security Pledge from Partner Nations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says European allies have not given him solid assurances that they will protect his country in the case of a fresh offensive by Russia.
"I am asking this very question to all our partners and I have not received a definitive and straightforward response yet," he stated to the press on midweek.
These remarks follow a day after the UK and France inked a statement of purpose on deploying troops in Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement to end the war with Russia is reached.
However, full security guarantees have not been agreed. The US, which has been leading efforts to halt the offensive, reportedly did not sign such a pledge at talks in Paris on Tuesday.
Outcomes from the Paris Discussions
Following the negotiations in Paris, which included some three dozen nations that comprise the so-called Coalition of the Willing, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the two nations would "set up operational bases across Ukraine" to prevent any future incursion, while French President Emmanuel Macron subsequently indicated a significant number of soldiers may be deployed.
Partner nations suggested that the US would take the lead in monitoring a truce. But the central sticking point of ceding land that Ukraine is being pressured to offer to Russia as a component of the settlement terms are continuing to be negotiated.
Moscow has not yet commented on the announcement made in the French capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Russian forces now occupies about 20% of Ukraine's land.
The President's Evolving Stance
The UK Prime Minister characterized the bilateral declaration as "a vital part of our dedication to stand with Ukraine for the foreseeable future".
He continued: "It establishes the pathway for the legal framework under which British, French and partner forces could function on Ukrainian soil, protecting Ukrainian airspace and waters, and regenerating Ukraine's military for the future."
Zelensky hailed that accord as a "significant leap of progress".
A day later, however, he seemed more cautious.
"I see the will, the political will, and that the partners are ready, and the partners are ready to give us strong sanctions, powerful defense assurances," he said when questioned if European countries would defend Ukraine.
"But as long as we lack such security guarantees - legally binding, supported by parliaments, supported by the United States Congress - this crucial issue cannot be answered. And should they materialize, you still have to rely primarily on your inherent capabilities."
Persistent Challenges and Fighting
Negotiations in Paris were also notable owing to the attendance of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
One envoy stated the allies "largely finished" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Last week, Zelensky said a peace deal was "ninety percent complete".
Questions of land and defense pledges have been at the forefront of outstanding matters for diplomats.
Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops 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 proposed that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an established line - but only if Russia reciprocated the action.
Russian forces now holds about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the adjacent Luhansk region. The pair of oblasts constitute the industrial Donbas region.
Attacks have been escalating against Ukrainian cities - particularly targeting energy infrastructure. Russia has also made slow progress in seizing additional Ukrainian land.
Ukrainian forces have retaliated at Russian targets with unmanned aerial vehicles, albeit with more limited success.