Zelensky Declares Absence of Definitive Defense Guarantee from Partner Nations
President Zelensky has stated that European allies have not given him sound guarantees that they will defend Ukraine 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 midweek.
These remarks follow a day after Britain and France signed a statement of purpose on stationing forces 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 spearheading initiatives 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 involved some three dozen nations that comprise the group termed the 'Coalition of the Willing', UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "set up operational bases across Ukraine" to prevent any future incursion, while France's President Macron later said thousands of troops may be sent.
Allies proposed that the US would assume a leading role in overseeing any ceasefire. But the central sticking point of ceding land that Ukraine is being asked to grant to Russia as part of the peace proposals are continuing to be negotiated.
Moscow has not yet commented on the announcement made in the city of Paris.
President Putin initiated a comprehensive military assault of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Moscow currently controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Zelensky's Shifting Tone
The UK Prime Minister characterized the joint statement as "a vital part of our dedication to support Ukraine for the long-term".
He continued: "It establishes the pathway 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."
The Ukrainian leader praised that agreement as a "huge step forward".
A day later, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I see the will, the political resolve, and that the allies are prepared, and the partners are ready to give us strong sanctions, strong security guarantees," he said when questioned if European countries would defend Ukraine.
"But as long as we lack such binding security pacts - formally ratified, supported by parliaments, supported by the United States Congress - this crucial issue cannot be answered. And even if they do, you must ultimately depend primarily on your inherent capabilities."
Persistent Challenges and Fighting
Negotiations in Paris were also significant due to the attendance of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
One envoy stated the allies "mostly completed" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Recently, the President indicated a peace deal was "ninety percent complete".
Territorial concessions and defense pledges have been at the forefront of unresolved issues for diplomats.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukraine's military must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will seize it, dismissing potential concessions over how to end the war.
The Ukrainian President has thus far rejected ceding any territory, but has suggested that Ukraine could redeploy its forces to an established line - but only if Russia reciprocated the action.
Russian forces now holds about three-quarters of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the adjacent Luhansk region. The pair of oblasts constitute the industrial Donbas region.
It has been intensifying attacks against cities in Ukraine - particularly targeting power facilities. Moscow is also achieving slow progress in capturing more Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine has hit back at objectives inside Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles, though with more limited success.
