Zelensky Declares He Lacks Explicit Defense Guarantee from European Partners
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says European allies have not given him concrete pledges that they will protect his country in the event of a future Russian attack.
"I am asking this very question to all our partners and I have not received a clear, unambiguous answer yet," he told reporters on midweek.
These remarks follow a day after the UK and France inked a declaration of intent on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal to conclude the conflict with Moscow is finalized.
However, comprehensive defense assurances have yet to be solidified. 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
After the Paris talks, which involved some three dozen nations that comprise the group termed the 'Coalition of the Willing', British PM Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "establish military hubs across Ukraine" to prevent any future incursion, while French President Emmanuel Macron later said a significant number of soldiers may be sent.
Partner nations suggested that the US would assume a leading role in monitoring a truce. But the key issue of ceding land that Ukraine is being asked to grant to Russia as a component of the settlement terms are still being discussed.
The Russian government has thus far remained silent on the announcement made in the French capital.
President Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian forces now occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
The President's Evolving Stance
The UK Prime Minister characterized the bilateral declaration as "an essential component of our commitment to support Ukraine for the long-term".
He continued: "It establishes the pathway for the legal framework under which allied military personnel could operate on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and regenerating Ukraine's military for the future."
Zelensky hailed that accord as a "huge step forward".
Twenty-four hours afterward, however, he seemed more cautious.
"I see the will, the political resolve, and that the allies are prepared, and the partners are ready to give us robust economic measures, strong security guarantees," he said when questioned if European countries would come to Ukraine's aid.
"However, until we don't have such binding security pacts - formally ratified, endorsed by legislatures, backed by the U.S. Congress - this crucial issue cannot be answered. And even if they do, 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 participating countries "mostly completed" their work on agreeing security protocols.
Recently, Zelensky said a peace deal was "90% ready".
Questions of land and security guarantees have been at the forefront of outstanding matters for negotiators.
Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise 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 established line - but only if Russia reciprocated the action.
Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The two regions form the industrial Donbas region.
Attacks have been escalating against Ukrainian cities - particularly targeting power facilities. Russia has also made incremental advances in capturing more Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine has hit back at Russian targets with unmanned aerial vehicles, albeit with varying degrees of effectiveness.
