French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Paris, calling the ongoing discussions “a moment that could be a turning point” for peace in Ukraine and for security across Europe.
The meetings are part of an intense diplomatic push to forge terms for a possible ceasefire in the nearly four-year conflict. Zelenskyy’s visit came after talks between Ukrainian and US officials in Florida that US participants described as productive. Delegations have been working to amend a US-authored plan produced in consultations between Washington and Moscow, a draft critics say tilts too far toward Russian demands.
European partners, while backing US-led efforts, have also been among the sharpest critics of that approach. Macron stressed Kyiv’s sovereignty, saying: “Ukraine is the only one that can discuss about its territories as a sovereign nation.” He also condemned continued attacks by Russia: “At a time when we are talking about peace, Russia continues to kill and destroy.”
Macron’s office said the Paris meetings included leaders from Britain, Germany, Poland, Italy, Norway and the Netherlands, along with EU officials Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, underscoring the broader European engagement in the push for a negotiated settlement.
