France hails ‘positive process’ as Europe, US discuss Ukraine ceasefire
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US, European and Ukrainian officials meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on April 17.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – France said talks on April 17 between top US and European officials on the war in Ukraine had launched a “positive process”, as Europe seeks to be included in efforts to end the three-year-old conflict.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio again pressed a US peace plan during the discussions in Paris.
The meetings included President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Rubio, US envoy Steve Witkoff, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German officials and Ukrainian ministers.
They took place as US President Donald Trump’s push to end the war stumbles, with Russian leader Vladimir Putin rebuffing a complete truce.
“Today, in Paris, we launched a positive process in which the Europeans are involved,” the French presidency said.
A new meeting of envoys from the US, France, Britain, Germany and Ukraine will take place next week in London, it added.
Mr Rubio later called Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to discuss the Paris meeting.
“President Trump and the United States want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace,” Mr Rubio told his Russian counterpart, according to the US State Department.
“The encouraging reception in Paris to the US framework shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement,” he added.
In a statement, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said Mr Lavrov “reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to continue collaborative efforts with American counterparts to comprehensively address the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis”.
Mr Lavrov and Mr Rubio agreed on the need to maintain “prompt communication channels”, in the light of the London meeting next week, the statement said.
‘Europeans at the table’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has clashed with Mr Trump, praised the talks, saying it was important to work towards “real security” in Europe.
Posting on Telegram, Mr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak on April 18 thanked Mr Macron “for your efforts in the process of achieving a just and lasting peace for Ukraine”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, dismissed the Paris meeting, saying earlier that Europeans seemed to have “a focus on continuing the war”.
France and Britain have sought a coordinated European response to defending Ukraine, during the conflict and in any ceasefire, after Mr Trump shocked them by opening talks with Russia.
Mr Macron said the Paris talks were “a very important occasion for convergence”, as everybody wanted “a robust and sustainable peace”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters the talks had made a breakthrough because the United States, Ukraine, and European ministers had “gathered around the same table” when Europe had previously feared it would be excluded from decision-making.
The US “has understood that a just and sustainable peace... can only be achieved with the consent and contribution of Europeans”, he added later on LCI television.
Two dead in fresh strikes
Russia’s strikes, which have recently killed dozens of people, including children in Ukrainian cities, have increased pressure for new diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Russian strikes overnight on April 17 killed two people and wounded dozens of others in the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, the local and regional authorities said on April 18.
Mr Zelensky earlier accused Mr Witkoff
“I believe that Mr Witkoff has taken on the strategy of the Russian side,” Mr Zelensky told reporters.
“I think it is very dangerous, because he is consciously or unconsciously, I don’t know, spreading Russian narratives.”
Mr Witkoff said this week that Mr Putin was open to “permanent peace” after talks with the Kremlin chief
Mr Putin in March rejected a US proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire, after Kyiv gave its backing to the idea.
He also suggested Mr Zelensky be removed from office, sparking an angry response from Mr Trump who said he was “very angry” with the Russian leader.
French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu held talks in Washington on April 17 with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who called on France to boost military spending, a Pentagon spokesman said.
“The secretary urged France to increase defence spending and, alongside other Nato allies, take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defence,” the spokesman said. AFP
