Zelensky States Absence of Explicit Security Pledge from Partner Nations
President Zelensky has stated that European allies have failed to provide solid assurances that they will protect his country in the event of a new Russian aggression.
"I continue to pose this critical question to all our partners and I have not received a definitive and straightforward response yet," he told reporters on Wednesday.
His comments come a day after the UK and France inked a declaration of intent on deploying troops in Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement 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 Tuesday.
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', British PM Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "set up operational bases across Ukraine" to deter future invasion, while French President Emmanuel Macron later said thousands of troops may be sent.
Partner nations suggested that the United States would take the lead 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 still being discussed.
The Russian government has not yet commented on the announcement made in the city of Paris.
President Putin launched a comprehensive military assault of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Moscow now occupies about 20% of Ukraine's land.
Zelensky's Shifting Tone
The UK Prime Minister characterized the joint statement as "an essential component of our commitment to stand with Ukraine for the foreseeable future".
He added: "It paves the way for the legal framework under which British, French and partner forces could function on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's military for the future."
The Ukrainian leader praised that accord as a "significant leap of progress".
Twenty-four hours afterward, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I perceive the determination, the political resolve, and that the allies are prepared, and the partners are ready to give us robust economic measures, powerful defense assurances," he said when asked if European countries would defend Ukraine.
"However, until we don't have such security guarantees - legally binding, endorsed by legislatures, backed by the U.S. Congress - this question remains unresolved. And even if they do, you must ultimately depend primarily on your own strength."
Persistent Challenges and Fighting
Negotiations in Paris were also significant owing to the attendance of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.
One envoy stated the participating countries "largely finished" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Recently, the President indicated a settlement was "ninety percent complete".
Questions of land and defense pledges have been at the center of unresolved issues for negotiators.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukraine's military must withdraw from the entirety of the Donbas region or Moscow will take control, rejecting any compromise over how to end the war.
Zelensky has so far ruled out relinquishing any land, but has proposed that Ukraine could redeploy its forces to an agreed point - but provided that Russia reciprocated the action.
Russian forces now holds about three-quarters of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The two regions 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 objectives inside Russia with drones, albeit with varying degrees of effectiveness.