Zelensky Asserts He Lacks Clear Security Pledge from European Partners
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says European allies have failed to provide concrete pledges that they will defend Ukraine in the case of a new Russian aggression.
"I am asking this very question to all our partners and I have not received a clear, unambiguous answer yet," he told reporters on Wednesday.
These remarks follow a day after Britain and France signed a declaration of intent on deploying troops in Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement to end the war with Russia is finalized.
However, full security guarantees have not been agreed. The US, which has been leading efforts to halt the offensive, was reported to have abstained from signing such a pledge at discussions held in the French capital on Tuesday.
Outcomes from the Paris Discussions
Following the negotiations in Paris, which included some three dozen nations that form the group termed the 'Coalition of the Willing', UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "establish military hubs across Ukraine" to prevent any future incursion, while France's President Macron subsequently indicated thousands of troops may be deployed.
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 part of the peace proposals are still being discussed.
The Russian government has not yet commented on the declaration made in the city of Paris.
President Putin launched a comprehensive military assault of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian forces currently controls about one-fifth of Ukraine's land.
The President's Evolving Stance
The UK Prime Minister characterized the joint statement as "an essential component of our commitment to stand with Ukraine for the long-term".
He added: "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 armed forces for the future."
The Ukrainian leader praised that agreement as a "huge step forward".
A day later, however, he seemed more cautious.
"I perceive the determination, the political will, 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 nations in Europe would defend Ukraine.
"However, until we lack such binding security pacts - formally ratified, supported by parliaments, backed by the U.S. Congress - this crucial issue remains unresolved. And should they materialize, you still have to rely first and foremost 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, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Witkoff said the participating countries "largely finished" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Last week, Zelensky said a peace deal was "ninety percent complete".
Territorial concessions and security guarantees have been at the center of unresolved issues for negotiators.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukraine's military must withdraw 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 relinquishing any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an established line - but provided that Russia did the same.
Moscow now holds about three-quarters of the Donetsk oblast, and some nearly all of the neighbouring Luhansk. The pair of oblasts constitute the Donbas industrial heartland.
Attacks have been escalating against cities in Ukraine - with a focus on energy infrastructure. Russia has also made incremental advances in seizing additional Ukrainian land.
Ukrainian forces have retaliated at Russian targets with drones, though with more limited success.
