1 of 2 | French President Emmanuel Macron, left, welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Elysee Palace in Paris Monday. The two were there to discuss the peace plan between Ukraine and Russia. Photo by Teresa Suarez/EPA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Paris Monday morning to meet with French President Emanuel Macron and discuss peace options between Ukraine and Russia.
On Sunday, Ukrainian leaders visited Miami to work on the negotiations with delegates from the President Donald Trump administration, which Zelensky described as “very constructive” on X.
The meeting with Macron was at the Elysee Palace. Last week, Macron’s office said they would discuss “the conditions of a just and durable peace.”
“I spoke with the President of Finland earlier today — [Alexander Stubb] and I continue our coordination,” Zelensky said on X Monday. “I briefed him on our delegation’s work yesterday in the United States — everything was very constructive. There are some tough issues that still have to be worked through. Our representatives will return to Europe in the coming days, and after speaking with them and receiving a full report on how the negotiations went, we will decide on our further activities. And for today, we have talks planned with our friends in Europe. It will be a very substantive day. Diplomacy, defense, energy — the priorities are clear. I thank everyone who is helping!”
While all sides call the talks constructive, they haven’t released any details about what has been changed about the plan initiated by Trump. The first peace plan, negotiated between Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian delegates, leaned heavily toward Russia’s demands. It included giving the eastern Donbas region to Russia, keeping Ukraine out of NATO and limiting the size of Ukraine’s military. Those more contentious parts of the draft have been set aside for later negotiations.
After Paris, Zelensky was scheduled to visit Ireland for meetings on Tuesday. Witkoff is scheduled to visit Moscow on Tuesday, when he will meet with President Vladimir Putin.
After the Miami meetings, Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s former Minister of Defense, said the discussions were “difficult but productive.”
“We have achieved tangible progress on the path toward a just peace,” he said on social media on Sunday. “There is still much work ahead,” he added.
European Union foreign policy official Kaja Kallas told reporters this “could be a pivotal week for diplomacy.”
“It is clear that Russia does not want peace, and therefore we need to make Ukraine as strong as possible in order for them to be ready to stand up for themselves in this very, very difficult time,” she said.
Throughout the negotiations, Ukraine has also been dealing with a corruption scandal, and on Friday, Zelensky’s top aide resigned after officials searched his home.
