Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says European allies have not given him sound guarantees that they will protect his country in the case of a new Russian aggression.
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.
His comments come a day after the UK and France signed a declaration of intent on deploying troops in Ukraine if a peace deal to end the war with Russia is agreed.
But full security guarantees have not been agreed. The US, which has been leading efforts to end the invasion, reportedly did not sign such a pledge at talks in Paris on Tuesday.
After the Paris talks, which included some 30 countries 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 deter future invasion, while French President Emmanuel Macron later stated that thousands of troops may be deployed.
Allies proposed that the US would take the lead in monitoring a truce. However, key issues regarding territorial concessions that Ukraine is being asked to grant to Russia as part of the peace proposals are still under discussion.
Moscow has not yet commented on the announcements made in Paris.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Moscow has maintained control over about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Last week, Zelensky mentioned that a peace deal was 90% ready. Yet, unresolved issues around territorial concessions and security guarantees persist.
Putin has insisted that Ukrainian troops must retract from the eastern Donbas regions or risk further conflict, with Ukraine currently resisting any territorial cession.
As the conflict intensifies, Ukraine faces continued Russian strikes against cities and critical infrastructure, while also launching drone attacks against Russian targets with limited success.
