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Key Points
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris to reinforce European support for Ukraine.
- US and Ukrainian negotiators concluded two days of peace talks in Florida, but significant disagreements remain.
- Zelenskyy expects to discuss unresolved issues including security guarantees and territory with the US President.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he expects to discuss “key issues” with US counterpart Donald Trump, as efforts to settle the war with Russia went into full swing.
Zelenskyy was in Paris on Tuesday AEDT, seeking to boost European support for Ukraine, while his negotiators concluded two days of talks with the US in Florida. However, they said some issues still remained unresolved.
“We are expecting a conversation with the president of the United States on key issues that are quite challenging,” Zelenskyy told a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.
He singled out the issues of territory, security guarantees, and Ukraine’s reconstruction as the most important in the settlement process.
The Ukrainian representative emphasized that the territorial dispute remains the toughest obstacle, while underscoring the critical nature of security assurances. He also highlighted the necessity for Europe to engage in discussions regarding Ukraine’s rebuilding efforts.
Zelenskyy was warmly received by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, and the two joined a call with about a dozen other European leaders including those of Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland and the European Union.
Macron told reporters that only Ukraine could decide on its territories in peace negotiations with Russia.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff left Sunday’s US-Ukrainian talks to travel to Moscow, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Details of any revisions to the 28-point proposal, initially introduced by the Trump administration to Ukraine just under two weeks ago, have not yet been disclosed by US or Ukrainian officials.
Ukraine and its European allies have been pushing for revisions to terms, which called for Ukraine to give up more territory than Russia has seized, curb the size of its army, renounce joining NATO and be barred from hosting Western troops.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio, who hosted the talks near Miami, said on Sunday the US was “realistic about how difficult this is, but optimistic, particularly given the fact that as we’ve made progress”.
“We have more to accomplish. This is a sensitive matter,” noted Rubio. “Numerous elements are in play, and naturally, another party’s involvement is necessary. This will progress further later this week when Mr. Witkoff heads to Moscow.”
The intensified negotiations have arrived at a difficult juncture for Ukraine, which has been losing ground at the eastern front while facing the biggest corruption scandal of the war.
Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, who had also led the Ukrainian delegation at peace talks, resigned on Friday after anti-corruption investigators searched his home. Two cabinet ministers have been fired and a former business partner of Zelenskyy has been named as a suspect.
Trump, who promised to swiftly end the war, has expressed frustration that a deal seems to be elusive.
“Ukraine’s got some difficult little problems,” Trump told reporters on the presidential plane Air Force One on Sunday, referring to the graft scandal. He repeated his view that both Russia and Ukraine wanted to end the war and said there was a good chance a deal could be reached.
