Talks about Ukraine with U.S. have put Europeans back at the table, France says
Kyiv, European allies hope Washington will take a tougher line with Moscow
"Excellent" talks in Paris between top U.S. officials, Ukraine and Europe's top three powers show that Europeans are back at the table for negotiations on Ukraine's future, French officials said Thursday.
French President Emmanuel Macron hosted U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff for talks at the Elysee Palace, as European and Ukrainian officials sought to plead Kyiv's case over the war in Ukraine.
The high-level diplomacy reflects Europe's mounting concern over the U.S. administration's overtures toward Moscow, after the failure so far of Trump's efforts to secure a ceasefire in the three-year-old war.
Trump, who has long said he aims to swiftly end the Ukraine war, has indicated he is frustrated with both Moscow and Kyiv, even as U.S. rhetoric has shifted toward accommodating the Russian account of the conflict.
Macron has been fighting to prevent bilateral talks between the United States and Russia to permanently sideline Europeans over the future of Ukraine. French officials said Thursday's meeting showed that Europe was now back at the negotiating table.
"What's new is that the United States, Ukraine and the Europeans met around the same table," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters.
A senior adviser to Macron, speaking on condition of anonymity as is French government practice, said the talks had been "excellent, positive and constructive" and showed "a real convergence" on Trump's aim to end the war.
"Everyone wants to get peace. A robust and sustainable peace. The question is about phasing," Macron said while meeting Rubio's delegation at the Elysee.
Little came out on the substance of the talks in Paris. But the senior French official said the countries' top negotiators would meet again in the same format in London next week.
Trump's special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, who was also in Paris, posted a photograph on X of himself with the leaders of the Ukrainian delegation. The post stated: "Very productive meetings at Elysee Palace on efforts to end the Ukraine-Russia war."
Ukraine agreed to a Trump proposal last month for a ceasefire which Russia rejected. The sides have agreed only to curbs on attacks against energy targets and at sea, which both accuse each other of violating.
Kyiv and its European allies are hoping to persuade Washington to take a tougher line with Moscow. They have pressed the case since a Russian attack that killed at least 35 people, including Ukrainian Christian worshippers, in the city of Sumy on Sunday.
The attack may have added urgency to find peace, U.S. officials indicated.
Macron spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy by phone on Thursday ahead of the talks with Rubio and Witkoff, Macron's office said.
He later greeted Witkoff, and then Rubio, with handshakes ahead of a joint lunch.
Security guarantees
Before that, Macron's foreign policy adviser Emmanuel Bonne and his British and German counterparts met Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy's chief of staff, who said they discussed the ceasefire and security guarantees.
"We exchanged views on the next steps toward achieving a just and lasting peace, including the implementation of a full ceasefire, the involvement of a multinational military contingent, and the development of an effective security architecture for Ukraine," Yermak said on X.
Zelenskyy told a press conference in Ukraine that Russia had reduced the number of its strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities but was attacking civilian infrastructure.
He said Russia's violations of the energy ceasefire would be discussed in Paris but Ukraine will not be ready to discuss territorial issues until a ceasefire was put in place.
He also reiterated charges that Witkoff was "spreading Russian narratives" about the war.
According to the French agenda for the day, Yermak was due to take part in a meeting with Rubio, Witkoff and the European envoys later on Thursday.
The Kremlin described the Paris meetings as a chance for Witkoff, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin for five hours last week, to update Europeans on talks about the search for a peace settlement.
Separately in Washington, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed efforts toward a "durable peace" in Ukraine with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said.
Hegseth, who has been vocal about Europe taking a bigger role in defending the continent, urged France to increase its defence spending and, alongside other NATO allies, take primary responsibility for Europe's conventional defence.
In a post on X, Hegseth called it an "excellent" meeting, saying, "We discussed the imperative need for Europeans to meet a five per cent defence spending commitment to restore deterrence with ready, lethal conventional forces."
Lecornu called the discussions "productive" and said they included updates in European work led by France and the United Kingdom to build security guarantees for Ukraine once a ceasefire is reached.
Talks to reach nuclear deal with Iran
U.S. and French officials said they would also have discussions in Paris on Washington's efforts to reach a nuclear deal with Iran.
Witkoff is due in Rome on Saturday for a second round of discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi about Iran's nuclear program. They met for 45 minutes last Saturday in Oman.
Both sides called last weekend's talks positive while acknowledging that any potential deal remains distant.
Trump, who abandoned an earlier nuclear deal with Iran during his first term in 2018, said on Monday he was willing to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities if a new deal was not reached.
Washington had not told European countries about the nuclear talks in Oman before Trump announced them.
With files from CBC News