Macron Witkoff Discuss Ukraine Peace Talks
French President Emmanuel Macron met with US envoy Steve Witkoff Thursday, with the discussion focused primarily on peace talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Elysee said.
A series of Macron Witkoff Discuss Ukraine meetings in Paris involving Witkoff and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio came almost a week after Witkoff traveled to St. Petersburg, where he talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin for almost five hours. Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s envoy, described the conversation as “compelling,” saying they discussed steps that could end the war in Ukraine and perhaps lead to business opportunities as well.
During the talks in Paris, European officials wanted the US side to present evidence that Putin is serious about negotiating an unconditional ceasefire, according to a senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The meeting was organized at the request of the US administration, that person said.
European officials also wanted to know what actions the Trump administration is considering if it doesn’t get progress from Putin, and they wanted to impress the need on Washington to harden its position toward Moscow, including through a “large scale” sanctions package that Trump had signaled previously that he was considering, the official said.
The US president has expressed frustration at the pace of negotiations with Russia, which has so far declined to accept his proposal for a truce in Ukraine as a starting-point for broader peace talks. But Trump also has at times blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the war that began with Russia’s invasion of his country amid questions about which side is responsible for the failure to achieve the ceasefire.
Despite a partial truce being in place, Russia stepped up air attacks on Ukraine that killed more than 55 civilians and wounding hundreds, including children.
Europe has been largely sidelined in talks. The meetings on Thursday, which were also attended by UK National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, built on France-UK efforts to form a postwar “reassurance force” in Ukraine, the Elysee said.
Paris and London are hoping that the plan would demonstrate that Europe is serious about committing its own resources to Ukraine’s postwar future and persuade Trump to commit to security guarantees for Kyiv, Bloomberg reported last week.
The meetings in Paris also included Zelenskiy’s top aide Andriy Yermak, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and other officials from the UK, France and Germany.
“We are working on critical issues for the security of Ukraine and all of Europe,” Yermak posted on X earlier on Thursday.
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