Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky States Absence of Clear Security Pledge from Partner Nations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says European allies have failed to provide concrete pledges that they will protect his country in the event of a future Russian attack.
"I continue to pose this critical question to every one of our allies and I have not received a clear, unambiguous answer yet," he told reporters on midweek.
His comments come a day after Britain 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, 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 commitment at talks in Paris on the previous day.
Details of the Paris Talks
After the Paris talks, which involved some 30 countries that comprise the so-called Coalition of the Willing, British PM 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 a significant number of soldiers may be deployed.
Partner nations suggested that the United States would assume a leading role in monitoring a truce. But the key issue of territorial concessions that Ukraine is being asked to grant to Russia as a component of the settlement terms are continuing to be negotiated.
Moscow has thus far remained silent on the declaration made in the city of Paris.
President Putin launched a comprehensive military assault of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow now occupies about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Zelensky's Shifting Tone
The UK Prime Minister characterized the bilateral declaration as "an essential component of our commitment to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future".
He continued: "It paves the way for the legal framework under which allied military personnel could operate on Ukraine's territory, protecting Ukrainian airspace and waters, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the future."
Zelensky hailed that agreement as a "significant leap of progress".
A day later, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I see the will, the political will, and that the allies are prepared, and the partners are ready to give us strong sanctions, powerful defense assurances," he said when questioned if European countries would come to Ukraine's aid.
"However, until we don't have such security guarantees - formally ratified, endorsed by legislatures, supported by the United States Congress - this question cannot be answered. And even if they do, you still have to rely primarily on your inherent capabilities."
Unresolved Issues and Ongoing Conflict
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 allies "largely finished" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Recently, Zelensky said a peace deal was "90% ready".
Territorial concessions and defense pledges have been at the center of unresolved issues for diplomats.
Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukraine's military must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Moscow will take control, dismissing potential concessions 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 provided that Russia did the same.
Russian forces now holds about three-quarters of the Donetsk oblast, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The two regions constitute the Donbas industrial heartland.
It has been intensifying attacks against cities in Ukraine - particularly targeting energy infrastructure. Russia has also made incremental advances in capturing more Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian forces have retaliated at objectives inside Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles, though with varying degrees of effectiveness.
