Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Declares Absence of Definitive Security Pledge from Partner Nations
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine's partners in Europe have failed to provide sound guarantees that they will defend Ukraine 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 clear, unambiguous answer yet," he told reporters on Wednesday.
These remarks follow a day after the UK and France signed a statement of purpose on stationing forces in Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement to conclude the conflict with Moscow is finalized.
However, full security guarantees have not been agreed. The US, which has been leading efforts to end the invasion, was reported to have abstained from signing such a commitment at discussions held in the French capital on the previous day.
Outcomes from the Paris Discussions
Following the negotiations in Paris, which involved some 30 countries 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 later said a significant number of soldiers may be deployed.
Partner nations suggested that the United States would assume a leading role in overseeing any ceasefire. But the central sticking point of ceding land that Ukraine is being pressured to offer to Russia as a component of the settlement terms are continuing to be negotiated.
The Russian government has not yet commented on the declaration made in the city of Paris.
President Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Russian forces currently controls about 20% of Ukraine's land.
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 long-term".
He added: "It paves the way for the juridical structure under which allied military personnel could operate on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's military for the future."
Zelensky hailed that accord as a "huge step forward".
Twenty-four hours afterward, however, he seemed more cautious.
"I see the will, the political resolve, and that the partners are ready, and the partners are ready to give us robust economic measures, powerful defense assurances," he said when questioned if European countries would come to Ukraine's aid.
"However, until we lack such binding security pacts - formally ratified, supported by parliaments, backed by the U.S. Congress - this question 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 owing to the attendance of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
One envoy stated the participating countries "largely finished" their work on agreeing security protocols.
Last week, the President indicated a settlement was "ninety percent complete".
Questions of land and defense pledges have been at the center of unresolved issues for diplomats.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukraine's military must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Russia will seize it, rejecting any compromise over how to conclude hostilities.
Zelensky has so far ruled out relinquishing any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could withdraw its troops 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 industrial Donbas region.
It has been intensifying attacks against cities in Ukraine - particularly targeting energy infrastructure. Moscow is also achieving slow progress in capturing more Ukrainian territory.
Ukrainian forces have retaliated at Russian targets with unmanned aerial vehicles, though with varying degrees of effectiveness.
