Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Asserts Absence of Definitive Defense Guarantee from European Partners
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says European allies have not given him 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 thus far, the answer remains elusive a clear, unambiguous answer yet," he told reporters on midweek.
These remarks follow a day after the UK and France inked a statement of purpose on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal to end the war with Russia is reached.
However, full security guarantees have not been agreed. The United States, which has been spearheading initiatives to halt the offensive, was reported to have abstained from signing such a commitment at discussions held in the French capital on Tuesday.
Details of the Paris Talks
After the Paris talks, which involved some three dozen nations that comprise the so-called Coalition of the Willing, British PM Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "set up operational bases across Ukraine" to deter future invasion, while France's President Macron subsequently indicated a significant number of soldiers may be sent.
Allies proposed that the US would take the lead in overseeing any ceasefire. 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 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 support Ukraine for the long-term".
He added: "It establishes the pathway for the legal framework under which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukrainian soil, protecting Ukrainian airspace and waters, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the years to come."
Zelensky hailed that agreement as a "huge step forward".
Twenty-four hours afterward, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I see the will, the political resolve, and that the allies are prepared, and the allies are willing to give us robust economic measures, powerful defense assurances," 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, backed by the U.S. Congress - this crucial issue remains unresolved. And even if they do, you must ultimately depend first and foremost on your own strength."
Persistent Challenges and Fighting
Negotiations in Paris were also notable owing to the attendance of envoys from former President Trump's administration, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
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 forefront of outstanding matters for diplomats.
Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukraine's military must withdraw from the entirety of the Donbas region or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise over how to conclude hostilities.
Zelensky has so far ruled out ceding any territory, but has proposed that Ukraine could redeploy its forces to an agreed point - but only if Russia did the same.
Russian forces now holds about three-quarters of the Donetsk region, and some nearly all of the adjacent Luhansk region. The pair of oblasts form the Donbas industrial heartland.
Attacks have been escalating against Ukrainian cities - with a focus on energy infrastructure. Moscow is also achieving incremental advances in seizing additional Ukrainian land.
Ukrainian forces have retaliated at Russian targets with unmanned aerial vehicles, albeit with varying degrees of effectiveness.
