Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says European allies have not given him concrete pledges that they will protect his country in the case of a future Russian attack.
"I continue to pose this critical 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 Britain and France inked a declaration of intent on stationing forces in Ukraine if a peace deal to conclude the conflict with Moscow is finalized.
However, full security guarantees have not been agreed. The United States, which has been spearheading initiatives to halt the offensive, reportedly did not sign such a pledge at discussions held in the French capital on the previous day.
After the Paris talks, which included 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 US 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 a component of the settlement terms are still being discussed.
The Russian government has not yet commented on the declaration made in the city of Paris.
Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and Russian forces now occupies about 20% of Ukrainian territory.
Sir Keir described the bilateral declaration as "a vital part of our dedication to support Ukraine for the foreseeable future".
He added: "It paves the way for the juridical structure under which British, French and partner forces could operate on Ukraine's territory, securing Ukraine's skies and seas, and rebuilding Ukraine's armed forces for the future."
Zelensky hailed that accord as a "significant leap of progress".
A day later, however, he appeared less optimistic.
"I perceive the determination, the political resolve, and that the partners are ready, and the allies are willing to give us robust economic measures, strong security guarantees," he said when asked if European countries would defend Ukraine.
"But as long as we lack such security guarantees - legally binding, supported by parliaments, backed by the U.S. Congress - this question cannot be answered. And should they materialize, you must ultimately depend primarily on your own strength."
The Paris talks were also notable due to the presence of envoys from former President Trump's administration, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Witkoff said the allies "largely finished" their work on agreeing security protocols.
Recently, Zelensky said a peace deal was "ninety percent complete".
Questions of land and defense pledges have been at the forefront of outstanding matters for diplomats.
The Russian leader has consistently stated that Ukrainian troops must withdraw from all of Ukraine's eastern Donbas or Moscow will take control, rejecting any compromise over how to conclude hostilities.
Zelensky has so far ruled out relinquishing any land, but has suggested that Ukraine could redeploy its forces to an established line - but only if Russia reciprocated the action.
Russian forces currently controls about 75% of the Donetsk oblast, and some nearly all of the adjacent Luhansk region. The pair of oblasts form the Donbas industrial heartland.
It has been intensifying attacks against Ukrainian cities - with a focus on energy infrastructure. Moscow is also achieving slow progress in seizing additional Ukrainian land.
Ukrainian forces have retaliated at objectives inside Russia with unmanned aerial vehicles, though with varying degrees of effectiveness.
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