Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Declares He Lacks Clear Defense Guarantee from Partner Nations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine's partners in Europe have failed to provide concrete pledges that they will defend Ukraine in the event of a fresh offensive by Russia.
"I continue to pose this critical question to every one of our allies and I have not received a definitive and straightforward response yet," he told reporters on midweek.
These remarks follow a day after Britain and France inked a statement of purpose on stationing forces in Ukraine if a peace deal to conclude the conflict with Moscow is agreed.
However, comprehensive defense assurances have not been agreed. The United States, which has been leading efforts to end the invasion, was reported to have abstained from signing such a pledge at talks in Paris on the previous day.
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 "set up operational bases across Ukraine" to prevent any future incursion, while France's President Macron subsequently indicated thousands of troops may be sent.
Partner nations suggested that the United States would assume a leading role in monitoring a truce. But the central sticking point of territorial concessions that Ukraine is being asked to grant 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.
President Putin initiated a comprehensive military assault of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Russian forces now occupies about 20% of Ukraine's land.
The President's Evolving Stance
Sir Keir described the bilateral declaration 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 function on Ukrainian soil, protecting Ukrainian airspace and waters, and rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces for the years to come."
Zelensky hailed that agreement as a "significant leap of progress".
A day later, however, he seemed more cautious.
"I see the will, the political resolve, and that the allies are prepared, and the allies are willing to give us strong sanctions, strong security guarantees," he said when questioned if European countries would defend Ukraine.
"However, until we don't have such binding security pacts - legally binding, supported by parliaments, supported by the United States Congress - this question cannot be answered. And should they materialize, you must ultimately depend first and foremost on your inherent capabilities."
Unresolved Issues and Ongoing Conflict
The Paris talks were also significant owing to the attendance of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
One envoy stated the allies "largely finished" their work on agreeing security protocols.
Recently, Zelensky said a peace deal was "90% ready".
Territorial concessions and defense pledges have been at the center of outstanding matters for negotiators.
Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukraine's military 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 ceding any territory, but has suggested 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 region, and some 99% of the adjacent Luhansk region. The pair of oblasts constitute the Donbas industrial heartland.
It has been intensifying attacks against Ukrainian cities - with a focus on power facilities. Russia has also made slow progress in seizing additional Ukrainian land.
Ukrainian forces have retaliated at objectives inside Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles, albeit with more limited success.
