Zelensky States He Lacks Definitive Security Pledge from European Partners

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says 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 Wednesday.

These remarks follow a day after Britain and France inked a declaration of intent on stationing forces in Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement to conclude the conflict with Moscow is agreed.

However, full security guarantees have not been agreed. The United States, which has been leading efforts to halt the offensive, was reported to have abstained from signing such a pledge at discussions held in the French capital on Tuesday.

Outcomes from the Paris Discussions

After the Paris talks, which included some 30 countries that comprise the so-called Coalition of the Willing, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the two nations would "set up operational bases across Ukraine" to prevent any future incursion, while France's President Macron subsequently indicated thousands of troops may be deployed.

Allies proposed that the US would assume a leading role in monitoring a truce. But the key issue of ceding land that Ukraine is being pressured to offer to Russia as a component of the settlement terms are still being discussed.

Moscow has not yet commented on the announcement made in the city of Paris.

President Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Moscow currently controls about one-fifth of Ukrainian territory.

The President's Evolving Stance

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 establishes the pathway for the legal framework under which British, French and partner forces could function on Ukraine's territory, protecting Ukrainian airspace and waters, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the future."

Zelensky hailed that accord as a "huge step forward".

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

"I perceive the determination, the political resolve, and that the partners are ready, and the allies are willing to give us robust economic measures, powerful defense assurances," he said when asked if European countries would come to Ukraine's aid.

"But as long as we lack such binding security pacts - formally ratified, endorsed by legislatures, backed by the U.S. Congress - this question cannot be answered. And should they materialize, you must ultimately depend primarily on your own strength."

Unresolved Issues and Ongoing Conflict

Negotiations in Paris were also significant due to the attendance of US President Donald Trump's peace envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.

Witkoff said the participating countries "largely finished" their work on agreeing security protocols.

Last week, Zelensky said a settlement was "ninety percent complete".

Questions of land and defense pledges have been at the center of outstanding matters for diplomats.

Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from the entirety of the Donbas region or Russia will seize it, dismissing potential concessions over how to end the war.

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 reciprocated the action.

Moscow now holds about three-quarters of the Donetsk region, and some 99% of the neighbouring Luhansk. The pair of oblasts constitute the industrial Donbas region.

Attacks have been escalating against cities in Ukraine - particularly targeting energy infrastructure. Moscow is also achieving incremental advances in capturing more Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian forces have retaliated at Russian targets with unmanned aerial vehicles, albeit with more limited success.