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US officials arrive in Paris for critical talks with European leaders on Ukraine's future

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to reporters at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2025. © Jacquelyn Martin via Reuters file photo

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio talks to reporters at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, April 4, 2025. © Jacquelyn Martin via Reuters file photo

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has arrived in Paris for talks with European leaders about Ukraine and its future security.

Rubio is joined by Steve Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's special envoy.

Witkoff and Rubio are meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is also taking part in the discussions, along with the German government's foreign policy adviser.

A Ukrainian delegation made up of presidential adviser Andrii Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and Defence Minister Rustem Umerov will also participate in the discussions.

 

Firefighters extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Dnipro, 17 April, 2025
Firefighters extinguish a fire following a Russian attack in Dnipro, 17 April, 2025AP/Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP

Yermak described them as "a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings with representatives of the states of the coalition of the willing that are able to guarantee security." The Ukrainian delegation will also to meet with US officials, Yermak said.

The "coalition of the willing" is led by Britain and France and consists of around 30 countries seeking to set up a reassurance force for Ukraine that is meant to act as a deterrent against potential Russian aggression, while also having a stake in any future peace agreement.

Rubio and Witkoff have helped lead US efforts to seek peace more than three years after Russia launched the war. Several rounds of negotiations have been held in Saudi Arabia, and Witkoff met last week with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow has effectively refused to accept a comprehensive ceasefire that Trump has pushed and Ukraine has endorsed.

Russia has made it conditional on a halt in Ukraine's mobilisation efforts and Western arms supplies, demands which have been rejected by Kyiv.Thursday's meetings come as concerns grow about Donald Trump’s readiness to draw closer to Russia as he seeks to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine and some of his administration's other moves, from tariffs on some of its closest partners to rhetoric about NATO and Greenland.

Author: Emma De Ruiter with AP

Source: Euronews

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