Zelensky States He Lacks Clear Defense Guarantee from European Partners

President Zelensky has stated that European allies have not given him sound guarantees that they will defend Ukraine in the case of a future Russian attack.

"I am asking this very 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 inked a statement of purpose on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal to conclude the conflict with Moscow is agreed.

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 pledge at talks in Paris on the previous day.

Details of the Paris Talks

After the Paris talks, which involved some three dozen nations that comprise the so-called Coalition of the Willing, British PM Keir Starmer said the two nations would "set up operational bases across Ukraine" to prevent any future incursion, while French President Emmanuel Macron later said thousands of troops may be sent.

Partner nations suggested that the US would take the lead in monitoring a truce. But the key issue of ceding land that Ukraine is being asked to grant to Russia as part of the peace proposals are continuing to be negotiated.

Moscow has not yet commented on the announcement made in the French capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian forces now occupies about one-fifth of Ukraine's land.

Zelensky's Shifting Tone

The UK Prime Minister characterized the joint statement as "a vital part of our commitment to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future".

He continued: "It paves the way for the legal framework under which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and regenerating Ukraine's armed forces for the years to come."

Zelensky hailed that agreement as a "significant leap of progress".

A day later, 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 come to Ukraine's aid.

"But as long as we lack such binding security pacts - formally ratified, supported by parliaments, supported by the United States Congress - this question cannot be answered. And should they materialize, you must ultimately depend primarily on your inherent capabilities."

Unresolved Issues and Ongoing Conflict

The Paris talks were also notable due to the presence of envoys from former President Trump's administration, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff.

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

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

Territorial concessions and security guarantees have been at the forefront of unresolved issues for diplomats.

Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukrainian troops must pull back from the entirety of the Donbas region or Moscow will take control, rejecting any compromise 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.

Russian forces now holds about 75% of the Donetsk region, and some nearly all of the adjacent Luhansk region. 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 slow progress in seizing additional Ukrainian land.

Ukrainian forces have retaliated at objectives inside Russia with drones, albeit with varying degrees of effectiveness.