Zelensky Asserts He Lacks Clear Security Pledge from European Partners
President Zelensky has stated that Ukraine's partners in Europe have not given him solid assurances that they will protect his country in the case of a fresh offensive by Russia.
"I continue to pose this critical question to all our partners and I have not received a clear, unambiguous answer yet," he stated to the press on Wednesday.
His comments come a day after Britain and France inked a statement of purpose on stationing forces in Ukraine if a peace deal to end the war with Russia is agreed.
However, comprehensive defense assurances have yet to be solidified. The United States, which has been spearheading initiatives to halt the offensive, was reported to have abstained from signing such a pledge at talks in Paris on Tuesday.
Outcomes from the Paris Discussions
After the Paris talks, 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 "establish military hubs across Ukraine" to deter future invasion, while France's President Macron later said thousands of troops may be sent.
Allies proposed that the US would assume a leading role in monitoring a truce. But the key issue of territorial concessions that Ukraine is being pressured to offer to Russia as a component of the settlement terms are still being discussed.
Moscow has not yet commented on the declaration made in the city of Paris.
Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Moscow 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 stand with Ukraine for the long-term".
He continued: "It establishes the pathway for the legal framework under which allied military personnel could operate on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's military for the future."
Zelensky hailed 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 partners are ready, and the partners are ready to give us robust economic measures, powerful defense assurances," he said when asked if nations in Europe would come to Ukraine's aid.
"But as long as we don't have such binding security pacts - formally ratified, endorsed by legislatures, supported by the United States Congress - this question remains unresolved. And should they materialize, you must ultimately depend primarily on your own strength."
Persistent Challenges and Fighting
Negotiations in Paris were also significant due to the attendance of envoys from former President Trump's administration, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
Witkoff said the participating countries "mostly completed" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Recently, Zelensky said a settlement was "90% ready".
Questions of land and defense pledges have been at the forefront of outstanding matters for diplomats.
Putin has repeatedly warned 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.
Zelensky has so far ruled out relinquishing any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an established line - but only if Russia did the same.
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.
It has been intensifying attacks against Ukrainian cities - with a focus on energy infrastructure. Moscow is also achieving slow progress in capturing more Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine has hit back at Russian targets with unmanned aerial vehicles, though with varying degrees of effectiveness.
