2 weeks ago
Last Updated:April 17, 2025, 18:24 IST
France's President Macron, US Secretary of State Rubio, and US envoy Witkoff met in Paris to discuss a Ukraine ceasefire. The meeting follows Witkoff's recent talks with Putin.
France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2R) next to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (C) and France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot before a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris. (IMAGE: AFP)
France’s President Emmanuel Macron, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US envoy Steve Witkoff in Paris Thursday began a meeting on crafting a Ukraine ceasefire, an AFP photographer said.
The lunch-time meeting at the French presidential palace comes as Ukraine and its European allies seek to pressure Russia into agreeing to a deal, days after Witkoff again met Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Top Ukrainian officials were also in the French capital to talk with European and US delegations, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’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.
Zelenskyy 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.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - AFP)Location :Paris, France
First Published:April 17, 2025, 18:24 IST
News world France's Macron Meets US Secretary Of State Marco Rubio To Discuss Ukraine Ceasefire
