French President Emmanuel Macron hosted US officials in Paris for consultations to end the war in Ukraine as European Kiev allies seek to play a greater role in a deadly effort to end the conflict amid tensions with Washington.
Macron said the talks represent “a very important opportunity for convergence” after hosting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US envoy Steve Witkoff on Thursday.
“Everyone wants to have peace – robust and sustainable peace. The problem is gradual,” the French leader said.
US President Donald Trump’s administration is pushing for an end to the Russian-Ukraine war, with Trump himself having bilateral discussions with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts Vladimir Putin and Volodimia Zelensky.
But so far, Trump’s efforts have not paid off, and the US president has expressed his dissatisfaction with both Moscow and Kiev.
Ukraine agreed to Trump’s proposal for a ceasefire last month, but Russia rejected the idea. The side has agreed only to suppress attacks on energy targets and attacks at sea, both of which have condemned violations.
Meanwhile, the US overture to Russia over the past few weeks has raised concerns among European leaders. European leaders urged Trump to ensure that Ukraine would sit at the negotiation table in negotiations.
Reporting from Paris on Thursday, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Aherbara noted that the talks hosted by Macron indicate that “strong signs that Americans are working with Europeans” are attempting to reach the ceasefire agreement.
Ahelbara said there was “great frustration and skepticism” among European leaders after showing that the Trump administration planned to leave Europe and that it did not expect European countries to play an important role in their efforts to end the war.
“[Europe] They say they can guarantee that Ukrainians can be heard, so we want to play an important role in the ceasefire talks,” he added.
Zelenskyy spurs pressure on Russia
The French presidential office said Macron spoke with Ukrainian President Zelensky on Thursday prior to discussions with Rubio and Witkov.
Before that, Macron’s foreign policy advisor Emmanuel Bonne and his British and German counterparts met Andriy Jamack, Zelensky’s chief.
“We exchanged opinions on the next steps to achieving fair and lasting peace, including implementing a complete ceasefire, involvement of multinational force conditions, and developing an effective security architecture in Ukraine,” Yermak said on social media.
The surge in diplomacy comes as Russia continues to attack Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities say the drone strikes and artillery fire killed at least 12 people on Thursday.
The Russian attack that killed at least 35 people in a northeastern city on Sunday sparked widespread condemnation this week, renewing calls to end the war.
Zelenskyy urged a leadership meeting in Paris on Thursday to rely on Russia to agree to a ceasefire. “Russia uses it to kill every day and every night. We have to put pressure on the killers,” he said on Telegram.
Zelensky also denounced Witkov, a US envoy “spreading the Russian story” after proposing a peace deal with Russia, which took the status of Ukraine’s occupied territory.
“I believe Witkov has taken on the Russian strategy,” Zelensky told reporters. “I think it’s very dangerous because he’s spreading the Russian story consciously or unconsciously, because I don’t know.”
Witkov said this week that Putin had been open to “permanent peace” after he held his third meeting since Trump returned to the White House in January after he spoke with St. Petersburg’s Russian president.
In a statement after consultations on Thursday, the US State Department said Rubio had spoken with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“The secretary conveyed to his Russian counterparts the same message that the US team had conveyed to the Ukrainian delegation and the European allies in Paris. President Trump and the US have ended this war and now have presented all parties with an outline of durable and enduring peace.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed that officials had spoken over the phone, and said Lavrov emphasized Moscow’s willingness to continue dialogue with Washington, as “sures that we will eliminate the underlying cause of the Ukraine crisis.”
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