Zelensky Declares He Lacks Explicit Security Pledge from European Partners

President Zelensky has stated that Ukraine's partners in Europe have not given him sound guarantees that they will protect his country in the event of a future Russian attack.

"I am asking this very question to all our partners and I have not received a definitive and straightforward response yet," he told reporters on midweek.

These remarks follow a day after Britain and France signed a statement of purpose on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal to end the war with Russia is reached.

However, full security guarantees have not been agreed. The US, which has been leading efforts to halt the offensive, reportedly did not sign such a commitment at talks in Paris on the previous day.

Details of the Paris Talks

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 France's President Macron subsequently indicated a significant number of soldiers may be deployed.

Partner nations suggested that the United States would take the lead in monitoring a truce. 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 still being discussed.

The Russian government has thus far remained silent on the declaration made in the French capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in the early months of 2022, and Russian forces currently controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.

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 long-term".

He added: "It paves the way for the juridical structure under which allied military personnel could function on Ukrainian soil, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces for the years to come."

The Ukrainian leader praised that agreement as a "significant leap of progress".

Twenty-four hours afterward, however, he seemed more cautious.

"I see the will, the political resolve, and that the allies are prepared, and the allies are willing to give us robust economic measures, powerful defense assurances," he said when questioned if European countries would defend Ukraine.

"However, until we don't have such binding security pacts - legally binding, endorsed by legislatures, supported by the United States Congress - this crucial issue cannot be answered. And even if they do, you still have to rely primarily on your own strength."

Persistent Challenges and Fighting

The Paris talks were also significant owing to the attendance of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

One envoy stated the allies "mostly completed" their work on agreeing security protocols.

Recently, Zelensky said a peace deal was "90% ready".

Territorial concessions and defense pledges have been at the forefront of unresolved issues for negotiators.

Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must pull back from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Moscow will take control, rejecting any compromise over how to end the war.

Zelensky has so far ruled out ceding any territory, but has suggested that Ukraine could withdraw its troops to an established line - but provided that Russia did the same.

Moscow currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The pair of oblasts constitute the Donbas industrial heartland.

It has been intensifying attacks against cities in Ukraine - with a focus on power facilities. Moscow is also achieving slow progress in capturing more Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine has hit back at objectives inside Russia with drones, though with more limited success.