Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky States Absence of Clear Defense Guarantee from Partner Nations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine's partners in Europe have failed to provide sound guarantees 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 told reporters on Wednesday.
His comments come a day after the UK and France signed a statement of purpose on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal to conclude the conflict with Moscow 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 commitment at talks in Paris on Tuesday.
Details of the Paris Talks
After the Paris talks, which included some 30 countries that form the group termed the 'Coalition of the Willing', British PM Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "establish military hubs across Ukraine" to deter future invasion, while France's President Macron later said a significant number of soldiers may be deployed.
Partner nations suggested that the US would take the lead in monitoring a truce. But the central sticking point of ceding land that Ukraine is being pressured to offer to Russia as part of the peace proposals are still being discussed.
The Russian government has thus far remained silent on the declaration made in the city of Paris.
Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow now occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
The President's Evolving Stance
The UK Prime Minister characterized the joint statement as "an essential component of our dedication to stand with Ukraine for the foreseeable future".
He added: "It paves the way for the legal framework under which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces for the future."
Zelensky hailed that agreement as a "huge step forward".
A day later, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I perceive the determination, the political will, and that the partners are ready, and the allies are willing to give us strong sanctions, strong security guarantees," he said when questioned if nations in Europe would come to Ukraine's aid.
"But as long as we lack such binding security pacts - legally binding, supported by parliaments, supported by the United States Congress - this crucial issue remains unresolved. And should they materialize, you still have to rely primarily on your own strength."
Persistent Challenges and Fighting
Negotiations in Paris were also significant due to the presence of envoys from former President Trump's administration, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Witkoff said the allies "largely finished" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Recently, Zelensky said a peace deal was "90% ready".
Questions of land and security guarantees have been at the center of unresolved issues for diplomats.
Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise over how to end the war.
The Ukrainian President has thus far rejected relinquishing any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could redeploy its forces to an established line - but only if Russia did the same.
Moscow now holds about 75% of the Donetsk oblast, and some nearly all of the adjacent Luhansk region. The two regions constitute the Donbas industrial heartland.
It has been intensifying attacks against cities in Ukraine - with a focus on power facilities. Moscow is also achieving incremental advances in seizing additional Ukrainian land.
Ukraine has hit back at Russian targets with unmanned aerial vehicles, though with more limited success.
