Zelensky Declares He Lacks Explicit Security Pledge from Allies
President Zelensky has stated that Ukraine's partners in Europe have failed to provide sound guarantees that they will protect his country in the case of a future Russian attack.
"I continue to pose this critical question to all our partners and I have not received a definitive and straightforward response yet," he stated to the press on Wednesday.
These remarks follow a day after Britain and France signed a statement of purpose on deploying troops in Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement to conclude the conflict with Moscow is reached.
However, full security guarantees have yet to be solidified. The US, which has been leading efforts to halt the offensive, was reported to have abstained from signing such a commitment at talks in Paris on the previous day.
Details of the Paris Talks
Following the negotiations in Paris, which included some 30 countries that comprise 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.
Allies proposed that the United States would assume a leading role in overseeing any ceasefire. But the key issue of territorial concessions that Ukraine is being pressured to offer to Russia as part of the peace proposals are still being discussed.
Moscow has not yet commented on the declaration made in the French capital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a comprehensive military assault of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Moscow now occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
The President's Evolving Stance
Sir Keir described the joint statement as "a vital part of our commitment to support Ukraine for the long-term".
He added: "It establishes the pathway for the legal framework under which allied military personnel could function on Ukraine's territory, protecting Ukrainian airspace and waters, and rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces for the years to come."
Zelensky hailed that accord as a "significant leap of progress".
A day later, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I perceive the determination, the political will, and that the allies are prepared, and the allies are willing to give us strong sanctions, powerful defense assurances," he said when questioned if nations in Europe would come to Ukraine's aid.
"But as long as we lack 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 first and foremost on your inherent capabilities."
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.
One envoy stated the participating countries "largely finished" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Last week, Zelensky said a settlement was "90% ready".
Territorial concessions and security guarantees have been at the forefront of unresolved issues for diplomats.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the entirety of the Donbas region or Russia will seize it, dismissing potential concessions over how to conclude hostilities.
The Ukrainian President has thus far rejected relinquishing any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could redeploy its forces to an agreed point - but provided that Russia did the same.
Russian forces now holds about three-quarters of the Donetsk oblast, and some nearly all of the neighbouring Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the industrial Donbas region.
It has been intensifying attacks against cities in Ukraine - 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 drones, though with varying degrees of effectiveness.