Zelensky States Absence of Explicit Security Pledge from European Partners
President Zelensky has stated that European allies have failed to provide 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 told reporters on Wednesday.
These remarks follow a day after Britain and France signed a declaration of intent on stationing forces in Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement 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 halt the offensive, was reported to have abstained from signing such a commitment at discussions held in the French capital on Tuesday.
Outcomes from the Paris Discussions
Following the negotiations in Paris, which included some 30 countries 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 France's President Macron later said a significant number of soldiers may be sent.
Allies proposed that the United States would take the lead in monitoring a truce. But the central sticking point of ceding land that Ukraine is being asked to grant 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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a comprehensive military assault of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Moscow currently controls about one-fifth of Ukraine's land.
The President's Evolving Stance
Sir Keir described the joint statement as "a vital part of our commitment to support Ukraine for the long-term".
He added: "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 regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the years to come."
The Ukrainian leader praised that agreement as a "significant leap of progress".
A day later, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I see the will, the political resolve, and that the partners are ready, and the allies are willing to give us robust economic measures, powerful defense assurances," he said when asked if nations in Europe would defend Ukraine.
"However, until we lack such security guarantees - legally binding, endorsed by legislatures, backed by the U.S. Congress - this question 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 due to the attendance of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
One envoy stated the participating countries "mostly completed" their work on agreeing security protocols.
Recently, Zelensky said a settlement was "90% ready".
Questions of land and defense pledges have been at the forefront of unresolved issues for diplomats.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukraine's military must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Moscow will take control, dismissing potential concessions over how to conclude hostilities.
The Ukrainian President has thus far rejected ceding any territory, but has suggested that Ukraine could redeploy its forces 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 pair of oblasts form the Donbas industrial heartland.
Attacks have been escalating against cities in Ukraine - with a focus on energy infrastructure. Moscow is also achieving incremental advances in capturing more Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine has hit back at Russian targets with unmanned aerial vehicles, albeit with varying degrees of effectiveness.
