Zelensky States He Lacks Explicit Defense Guarantee from European Partners
President Zelensky has stated that European allies have not given him concrete pledges that they will protect his country in the event of a new Russian aggression.
"I continue to pose this critical question to all our partners and I have not received a definitive and straightforward response yet," he told reporters on midweek.
These remarks follow a day after the UK and France signed a statement of purpose on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal to conclude the conflict with Moscow is agreed.
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 talks in Paris on Tuesday.
Details of the Paris Talks
Following the negotiations in Paris, which included some three dozen nations that comprise the group termed the 'Coalition of the Willing', British PM Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "set up operational bases across Ukraine" to deter future invasion, while France's President Macron subsequently indicated thousands of troops may be deployed.
Allies proposed that the United States would assume a leading role in overseeing any ceasefire. But the central sticking point of territorial concessions 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 city of Paris.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Russian forces now occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine's land.
The President's Evolving Stance
Sir Keir described the bilateral declaration as "an essential component of our dedication to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future".
He added: "It establishes the pathway for the legal framework under which allied military personnel could function on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the future."
The Ukrainian leader praised that accord as a "huge step forward".
Twenty-four hours afterward, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I see the will, the political resolve, and that the partners are ready, and the partners are ready to give us strong sanctions, strong security guarantees," he said when questioned if nations in Europe would come to Ukraine's aid.
"But as long as we don't have such binding security pacts - legally binding, endorsed by legislatures, backed by the U.S. Congress - this question cannot be answered. And even if they do, 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, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Witkoff said the allies "largely finished" their work on agreeing security protocols.
Last week, Zelensky said a settlement was "90% ready".
Territorial concessions and defense pledges have been at the center of outstanding matters for negotiators.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukraine's military must pull back from the entirety of the Donbas region or Moscow will take control, rejecting any compromise over how to conclude hostilities.
Zelensky has so far ruled out relinquishing any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an agreed point - but only if Russia did the same.
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 energy infrastructure. Moscow is also achieving incremental advances in capturing more Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian forces have retaliated at objectives inside Russia with drones, though with varying degrees of effectiveness.
