France said that the conversations on Thursday among the main US and European officials in the war in Ukraine had launched a “positive process”, since Europe seeks to be included in the efforts to finish the three -year conflict.
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, again pressed a peace plan of the United States for discussions in Paris.
The meetings included the French president Emmanuel Macron, Rubio, the American envoy Steve Witkoff, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German officials and Ukrainian ministers.
They took place as the impulse of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, to end the stumbles of war, with the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, rejecting a complete truce.
“Today in Paris, we launched a positive process in which Europeans are involved,” said the French presidency.
He added a new envoys meeting from the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany and Ukraine next week in London.
Later, Rubio called the Foreign Minister of Russia, Sergei Lavrov, to discuss the Paris meeting.
“President Trump and the United States because this war ends, and now has presented to all parties the contours of lasting and lasting peace,” Rubio told his Russian counterpart, according to the United States Department of State.
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“The encouraging reception in Paris to the American framework shows that peace is possible if all parties undertake to reach an agreement,” he added.
In a statement, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Lavrov “reaffirmed Moscow’s willingness to continue collaboration efforts with US counterparts to comprehensively address the fundamental causes of the Ukainia crisis.”
Lavrov and Rubio agreed to maintain “immediate communication channels”, in the light of the London meeting next week, according to the statement.
‘European on the table’
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who crashed with Trump, praised the conversations, saying that it was important to work towards “real security” in Europe.
Publishing in Telegram, Zensky’s chief of cabinet, Andriy Yermak, thanked Macron on Friday “for his efforts in the process of achieving just and lasting peace for Ukraine.”
However, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov ruled out the Paris meeting, saying that Europeans seemed to have “an approach to continue the war.”
France and Great Britain have sought a coordinated European response to defend Ukraine, last the conflict and in any high fire, after Trump surprised them by opening conversations with Russia.
Macron said that Paris conversations were “a very important occasion for convergence”, since everyone wanted “a robust and sustainable peace.”
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French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told reporters that conversations had made a breakthrough because the United States, Ukraine and European ministers had “gathered around the same table” when Europe had previously feared.
The United States “has understood that a fair and sustainable peace can only be achieved with the consent and contribution of Europeans,” he added later on LCI television.
Two dead on fresh strikes
Russia’s attacks, which have recently killed boxes of people, including children’s cities in Ukrainian cities, have increased pressure for new diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
Russian strikes during the night killed two people on Thursday and wounded others in the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy, local and regional authorities said Friday.
Zensky previously accused Witkoff or “spreading Russian narratives” after the American envoy suggested a peace agreement depending on the state of the occupied territories of Ukraine.
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“I think Mr. Witkoff has tasks about the Russian side strategy,” Zensky told journalists.
“It is very dangerous, because it is consciously or unconsciously, I don’t know, spreading Russian narratives.”
Witkoff said this week that Putin was open to “permanent peace” after the conversations with the Kremlin chief in St. Petersburg, his third meeting since Trump returned to the White House in January.
Putin last month rejected an US proposal for a high and unconditional fire, after Kyiv gave his support to the idea.
He also suggested that Zensky be withdrawn from office, causing Trump’s angry response, who said he was “very angry” with the Russian leader.
France Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu had conversations in Washington on Thursday with the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Pete Hegseeth, who asked France to drive military spending, said a Pentagon spokesman.
“The secretary urged France to increase defense spending and, together with other NATO allies, assume the main responsibility of the conventional defense of Europe,” said the spokesman.
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