Trump's Request: How the Ukraine Talks in Paris Came About

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Trump's Request: How the Ukraine Talks in Paris Came About Michaela Wiegel • 2 hours • 3 minutes read At the request of US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron is organizing short-notice talks in Paris about a possible end to the war in Ukraine. According to the Élysée Palace, the meeting with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio "from the morning into the afternoon" will focus on assessing the results of the peace negotiations so far. In Paris, a skeptical view of Russian President Vladimir Putin's desire for peace prevails. After the missile attack on Sumy on Palm Sunday, Macron stated: "It is clear that Russia wants to continue the war alone." Macron receives calls from Trump almost daily. He has repeatedly tried unsuccessfully to correct Trump's view that Ukraine instigated the war with Russia. Trump's special envoy, Vitkoff, met with Putin in St. Petersburg at the end of last week. Ukrainian negotiators are also present France has insisted that the Ukrainian side be represented at the talks at the Élysée Palace this Thursday. The US State Department initially spoke only of "European counterparts." The head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andriy Yermak, wrote on Platform X that he would be accompanied by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov at the negotiations in Paris. Several bilateral meetings are planned with representatives of the states of the so-called "Coalition of the Willing." This coalition, comprising a total of 30 EU and NATO partners, is the result of a Franco-British initiative. France and Great Britain are prepared to send so-called reinsurance troops to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire. Their task is to deter Russia from violating a ceasefire agreement. The main burden, however, will remain with the Ukrainian army, whose equipment and ammunition supplies will be shouldered by the Europeans. Planning has already entered the operational phase and will henceforth be led by the chiefs of staff of the participating armed forces. British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is also present in Paris. The discussions are scheduled to continue this afternoon at the Foreign Ministry on the Quai d'Orsay. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who was still in Marseille this morning, wanted to invite his counterparts. It is still unclear whether Acting Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will join the meeting in Paris and how the next German government will be informed about the progress of the talks. The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin stated that the German government's foreign and security policy advisor, Jens Plötner, and the Political Director at the Federal Foreign Office, Günter Sautter, will participate in the talks in Paris. The French government is insisting that the talks with Witkoff and Rubio should not focus solely on Ukraine. The Élysée Palace has announced that they also want to discuss customs issues and the situation in the Middle East. In Paris, there is growing discontent that the White House does not see the EU Commission as a point of contact on the customs issue, and that Trump wants to negotiate it bilaterally with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Macron has also sharply criticized Trump's plan to relocate Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to create a Middle Eastern "Riviera." Macron's concerted plan with Saudi Arabia to recognize the Palestinian state in June is being used as a means of pressure on the White House. A press conference at the Élysée Palace to mark the conclusion of the talks is not planned. This is also due to the French's caution not to be roped into a US-Russian ceasefire plan that doesn't conform to European ideas. The White House has repeatedly acknowledged Putin's commitment to peace, even though negotiations have so far made little progress. Unlike Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Putin has rejected a complete ceasefire without preconditions. The minimum consensus—a 30-day moratorium on strikes against energy facilities—expires on Thursday, with both sides accusing each other of repeatedly violating the agreement.