Zelensky meets Macron to shore up support for Ukraine

PARIS, December 2 ------ Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Paris, seeking to shore up European support as US President Donald Trump expressed optimism of a deal to end Russia’s war in Ukraine.

US and Ukrainian negotiators held hours of what both sides called “productive” talks in Florida on Sunday on a plan Washington wants to form the basis of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. The diplomatic flurry after nearly four years of conflict comes as Kyiv battles military pressure and reels from a domestic corruption scandal that forced Zelenskyy to remove his close aide and top negotiator. The Ukrainian leader has been a regular visitor to Paris since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 — this latest visit is due to get underway at 10 a.m.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in comments to the La Tribune Dimanche newspaper on Sunday that the meeting aimed “to move the negotiations forward.” “Peace is within reach, if (Russian President) Vladimir Putin abandons his delusional hope of reconstituting the Soviet empire by first subjugating Ukraine,” he added.

Washington put forward an initial 28-point proposal to halt the war, drafted without input from Ukraine’s European allies and regarded as too close a reflection of Moscow’s maximalist demands on Ukrainian territory. It would have seen Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognize the Donetsk, Crimea, and Lugansk regions as Russian.

‘Ukraine’s sovereignty’

Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is due in Moscow for follow-up talks and is expected to discuss Ukraine with Putin on Tuesday. The Florida talks were described by both Ukrainian and American negotiators as “productive,” but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more work was required, and a source in Kyiv’s delegation called the talks “not easy.” Trump was optimistic, however, telling reporters aboard Air Force One: “I think that there’s a good chance we can make a deal.”

Ukraine’s security council secretary Rustem Umerov led Kyiv’s delegation at the Florida talks. He wrote on Facebook that he had briefed Zelenskyy on the “substantial progress” made. “It is important that the talks have a constructive dynamic and that all issues are discussed openly and with a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and national interests,” Zelenskyy wrote on X after the talks.

‘Important days’

Ahead of his meeting with Macron, Zelenskyy said on social media he had briefed Finland’s President Alexander Stubb — seen as an influential player due to his warm relationship with Trump — on “the signals we have received from the American side.” He also spoke separately to EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and NATO chief Mark Rutte, saying “these are important days, and much can change.” The diplomatic push comes as the war — which has killed tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel and displaced millions of Ukrainians — shows no sign of easing. Russia’s forces targeted Ukraine’s capital and the region with deadly air strikes two nights in a row over the weekend.

Source: manilatimes.net