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US officials to meet European leaders in Paris to discuss Ukraine war Rubio to meet European leaders in Paris to discuss Ukraine war
(about 4 hours later)
Trump envoys to meet Macron as well as British and German politicians to discuss concerns about Russia US secretary of state to meet Macron as well as British and German politicians and Ukrainian officials
Two of Donald Trump’s top national security aides will hold talks in Paris on Thursday with European politicians and security advisers, as the US and Europe search for common ground on ending the Ukraine war and averting an Iran conflict. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, is due to meet the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, in high-level talks in Paris on Thursday as Washington and Europe seek common ground on ending the fighting in Ukraine and averting a conflict with Iran.
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, are expected to hear concerns about Russia amid so-far fruitless US attempts to arrange a ceasefire three years after Russia invaded its neighbour. A previously unannounced team of senior Ukrainian officials also flew into the French capital to meet the US and European delegations, as Donald Trump’s efforts to arrange a ceasefire three years after Russia invaded its neighbour remained fruitless.
Rubio and Witkoff will meet the French president, Emmanuel Macron, as well as British and German figures, including the UK foreign secretary, David Lammy. Rubio and Keith Kellogg, the US president’s special envoy to Ukraine, were due to join the talks with Macron, as well as the French and UK foreign ministers, Jean-Noël Barrot and David Lammy, and Jens Plötner, the foreign policy adviser to the outgoing German chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
Top Ukrainian officials were also in Paris, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief-of-staff said. “I have just landed in Paris. We arrived together with foreign minister Andriy Sybiga and defence minister Rustem Umerov,” Andriy Yermak wrote on social media, adding they planned to meet representatives of France, Germany, Britain and the United States, without specifying who. Besides the war in Ukraine, the US delegation – which includes Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff – was also due to discuss Washington’s efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran during the talks, officials said.
The US president’s frustration with Russia and Ukraine over the war has been increasing and he has been threatening military action against Iranian nuclear facilities. Trump has indicated frustration with both Moscow and Kyiv, but European leaders’ concern has mounted as he heaped pressure and criticism on Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, while making diplomatic gestures to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
European leaders have grown more concerned as Trump has heaped pressure and criticism on Zelenskyy, while instead making diplomatic gestures to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. On Thursday, Zelenskyy said “pressure” must be put on Russia to end the war. “Russia uses every day and every night to kill. We must put pressure on the killers … to end this war and guarantee a lasting peace,” he said, after an overnight Russian strike on Dnipro killed three people.
The Polish foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, said on Monday that he hoped Trump and his administration would see that Putin was “mocking their goodwill” after Moscow’s deadly missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy. Moscow said the Paris meeting was a chance for Witkoff, who has held three meetings with Putin, to inform European officials of the peace talks’ current status. The Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said, however, that Russia so far saw “a focus on continuing the war” from the Europeans.
No specific proposals for the talks have been made public. Kyiv and its European allies say Moscow is to blame for rejecting Trump’s proposal of a ceasefire last month and hope to persuade the US to take a tougher line, particularly after a Russian missile attack on the city of Sumy on Sunday that killed at least 35 civilians.
France, Britain and Germany were surprised by Trump opening discussions on improving ties with Russia, but have sought a coordinated European response to protecting Ukraine during the conflict and in any ceasefire.France, Britain and Germany were surprised by Trump opening discussions on improving ties with Russia, but have sought a coordinated European response to protecting Ukraine during the conflict and in any ceasefire.
Britain and France have proposed a mainly European “reassurance” force prepared to go to Ukraine if a ceasefire starts. However, many European leaders say it would need US support. Britain and France have proposed that a mainly European “reassurance” force should go to Ukraine if a ceasefire starts. However, many European leaders say such a force would need US support.
Besides Macron, the French foreign ministry said Rubio would also meet his French counterpart, Jean-Noël Barrot, to discuss Ukraine, prospects for a new Iran nuclear deal and the Middle East. Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said his top-level delegation – which includes Ukraine’s foreign and defence ministers – would meet US, French, British and German officials, but did not specify who exactly they would talk to.
Witkoff plans to fly on to Rome for a second round of discussions on Saturday with the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, about Iran’s nuclear programme. They met for 45 minutes in Oman on Saturday. Both sides described those talks as positive while acknowledging any potential deal remained distant. The Ukrainian foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said the parties would discuss “ways to achieve a complete ceasefire, the involvement of a multinational military contingent to guarantee sustainable peace … and ensuring the security of our country”.
Trump said on Monday he was willing to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities if a deal was not reached. A French diplomatic source had said earlier that Rubio and Barrot, the French foreign minister, would discuss “the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and the Iranian nuclear file”. The trip is Rubio’s third to Europe since taking office.
Witkoff plans to fly on to Rome after the Paris talks for a second round of discussions on Saturday with the Iranian foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, about Iran’s nuclear programme. The two met for 45 minutes in Oman on Saturday.
Both sides described those talks as positive, while acknowledging any deal was distant. Trump said on Monday he believed Iran was intentionally delaying a nuclear deal and that he was willing to bomb its nuclear facilities if one was not reached.
On Tuesday, he held a meeting with top national security advisers at the White House focused on Iran’s nuclear programme, according to sources familiar with the encounter.On Tuesday, he held a meeting with top national security advisers at the White House focused on Iran’s nuclear programme, according to sources familiar with the encounter.
The US had not told European countries about the nuclear talks in Oman before Trump announced them, even though they hold a key card on the possible reimposition of UN sanctions on Tehran. The US president has restored a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran since February after ditching a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six world powers during his first term and reimposed crippling sanctions.
Thursday’s talks will be an opportunity for potential coordination between US and Europe. Separately, the French defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, would travel to Washington on Thursday for talks with the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, on a number of issues including Ukraine, Iran and Gaza, the ministry said.
Trump has restored a “maximum pressure” campaign on Tehran since February after ditching a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and six world powers during his first term and reimposed crippling sanctions on the Islamic republic. Agence France-Presse and Reuters contributed to this report
Trump said on Monday he believed Iran was intentionally delaying a nuclear deal with the US and that it must abandon any drive for a nuclear weapon or face a possible military strike on atomic facilities.
With Reuters