Zelensky Declares He Lacks Clear Defense Guarantee from Allies
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine's partners in Europe have not given him sound guarantees that they will protect his country in the case of a future Russian attack.
"I am asking this very question to all our partners and thus far, the answer remains elusive a definitive and straightforward response yet," he stated to the press on Wednesday.
These remarks follow a day after the UK and France signed a declaration of intent on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal to end the war with Russia is agreed.
However, full security guarantees have not been agreed. The US, which has been spearheading initiatives to halt the offensive, was reported to have abstained from signing such a commitment at talks in Paris on Tuesday.
Outcomes from the Paris Discussions
Following the negotiations in Paris, which included some 30 countries that form the so-called Coalition of the Willing, British PM Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "set up operational bases across Ukraine" to prevent any future incursion, while French President Emmanuel Macron later said a significant number of soldiers may be sent.
Allies proposed that the United States would assume a leading role in monitoring a truce. But the central sticking point of ceding land that Ukraine is being pressured to offer to Russia as part of the peace proposals are still being discussed.
Moscow has not yet commented on the announcement made in the French capital.
President Putin launched a comprehensive military assault of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow now occupies about 20% of Ukraine's land.
The President's Evolving Stance
The UK Prime Minister characterized the joint statement as "an essential component of our dedication to support Ukraine for the long-term".
He continued: "It paves the way for the legal framework under which allied military personnel could function on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's military for the years to come."
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 partners are ready, and the partners are ready to give us strong sanctions, powerful defense assurances," he said when asked if European countries would defend Ukraine.
"But as long as we lack such binding security pacts - formally ratified, endorsed by legislatures, supported by the United States Congress - this crucial issue cannot be answered. And should they materialize, you must ultimately depend primarily on your own strength."
Persistent Challenges and Fighting
The Paris talks were also significant due to the presence of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Witkoff said the allies "mostly completed" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Last week, the President indicated a peace deal was "90% ready".
Territorial concessions and security guarantees have been at the forefront of unresolved issues for negotiators.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukraine's military must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Moscow will take control, rejecting any compromise over how to conclude hostilities.
Zelensky has so far ruled out relinquishing any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an established line - but provided that Russia did the same.
Russian forces currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk oblast, and some nearly all of the adjacent Luhansk region. The pair of oblasts form the industrial Donbas region.
It has been intensifying attacks against cities in Ukraine - with a focus on energy infrastructure. Moscow is also achieving slow progress in capturing more Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian forces have retaliated at Russian targets with drones, albeit with more limited success.
