Zelensky Asserts He Lacks Explicit Defense Guarantee from European Partners
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine's partners in Europe have failed to provide sound guarantees that they will defend Ukraine in the event of a new Russian aggression.
"I am asking this very question to every one of our allies and I have not received a clear, unambiguous answer yet," he stated to the press on midweek.
These remarks follow a day after the UK and France signed a statement of purpose on deploying troops in Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement to end the war with Russia is reached.
However, full security guarantees have not been agreed. The US, which has been spearheading initiatives 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
After the Paris talks, which involved some three dozen nations that form the so-called Coalition of the Willing, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK and France would "establish military hubs across Ukraine" to prevent any future incursion, while France's President Macron later said a significant number of soldiers may be sent.
Allies proposed that the United States would assume a leading role in monitoring a truce. But the central sticking point of ceding land that Ukraine is being pressured to offer to Russia as part of the peace proposals are still being discussed.
The Russian government has thus far remained silent on the declaration made in the French capital.
President Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian forces currently controls about 20% 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 long-term".
He added: "It paves the way for the legal framework under which allied military personnel could function on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the years to come."
Zelensky hailed that accord as a "significant leap of progress".
Twenty-four hours afterward, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I perceive the determination, the political will, and that the partners are ready, and the partners are ready to give us strong sanctions, strong security guarantees," he said when asked if nations in Europe would come to Ukraine's aid.
"However, until we don't have such security guarantees - legally binding, supported by parliaments, backed by the U.S. Congress - this crucial issue cannot be answered. And should they materialize, you must ultimately depend first and foremost on your inherent capabilities."
Unresolved Issues and Ongoing Conflict
The Paris talks were also significant owing to the attendance of envoys from former President Trump's administration, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
One envoy stated the allies "largely finished" their work on finalizing security arrangements.
Recently, the President indicated a peace deal was "ninety percent complete".
Questions of land and security guarantees have been at the center of outstanding matters for negotiators.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Moscow will take control, dismissing potential concessions over how to conclude hostilities.
The Ukrainian President has thus far rejected ceding any territory, but has proposed that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an agreed point - but only if Russia did the same.
Moscow now holds about three-quarters of the Donetsk region, and some nearly all of the neighbouring Luhansk. The pair of oblasts form the Donbas industrial heartland.
Attacks have been escalating against cities in Ukraine - with a focus on power facilities. Moscow is also achieving incremental advances in seizing additional Ukrainian land.
Ukraine has hit back at objectives inside Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles, though with varying degrees of effectiveness.
