Rubio in Paris to meet Macron on Ukraine war

PARIS: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Paris on Thursday to meet French President Emmanuel Macron about crafting a Ukraine ceasefire, as Washington and Europe seek common ground on ending the fighting.

Top Ukrainian officials were also in the French capital to talk with European and US delegations, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff said, without saying precisely who they were meeting.

The latest diplomatic initiative comes as US President Donald Trump’s push for a ceasefire has yet to bear fruit despite his pledges to quickly end the war.

Zelensky himself urged the allies meeting in Paris to lean on Russia to agree to a ceasefire.

“Russia uses every day and every night to kill. We must put pressure on the killers… to end this war and guarantee a lasting peace,” Zelensky said in a Telegram post.

But Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the Paris meeting.

“Unfortunately we see from Europeans a focus on continuing the war,” he said.

US envoy Steve Witkoff arrived at the Elysee palace late Thursday morning, with him and Rubio expected to join Macron for a working lunch.

Witkoff and Rubio were then to meet Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak, as well as Britain’s and Germany’s national security advisors, the French presidency said.

Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, had arrived in Paris mid-morning with Rubio.

Russia’s recent deadly strikes in Ukraine, including in the cities of Sumy and Kryvyi Rig, show how the war is taking a hefty toll despite a series of diplomatic efforts.

Late Wednesday, a Russian drone attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro killed three people, including a young girl, authorities said.

‘Review progress’

On Sunday, a Russian ballistic missile killed at least 35 people in the Ukrainian city of Sumy.

Macron has taken the lead in seeking to forge a coordinated European response to defending Ukraine, both during the current conflict and in its eventual aftermath after Trump shocked the world by opening direct talks with Russia.

Britain and France are spearheading discussions among a “coalition of the willing” of 30 countries looking to shore up any deal Trump might strike with a “reassurance force”.

On Thursday, Macron’s office said the purpose of the Paris talks was to “review progress on peace negotiations aimed at ending the Russian aggression in Ukraine”.

Yermak said he and Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga as well as Defence Minister Rustem Umerov were in Paris to meet officials from France, Germany, Britain and the United States.

The parties would discuss a potential full ceasefire, the involvement of international peacekeepers, and the development of Ukraine’s security framework, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said.

Middle East, Iran also on agenda

The German foreign ministry said government security advisor Jens Ploetner would participate in the Paris talks.

Witkoff said this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin was open to “permanent peace”, after talks with the Kremlin chief in Saint Petersburg last Friday, their third meeting since Trump took office.

Witkoff said during a Fox News interview broadcast Monday that he saw a peace deal “emerging”.

Putin last month rejected a US proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire, after Kyiv gave its backing to the idea.

A French diplomatic source said Rubio and France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot would discuss “the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and the Iranian nuclear file”.

This is Rubio’s third trip to Europe since taking office.

The Paris talks come after discussions between the United States and Iran on Tehran’s nuclear programme in Oman last weekend.

Another round is scheduled for Saturday, in Italy.

Separately, France’s Defence Minister, Sebastien Lecornu, was to travel to Washington on Thursday.

He was set to meet US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for talks on a number of issues including Ukraine, Iran and Gaza.