Top US and European officials will meet in Paris on Thursday for high-level talks. The discussions mark the most senior transatlantic engagement on the conflict since February and come amid renewed urgency following deadly Russian missile strikes in Ukrainian cities.
Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and top diplomat Marco Rubio will represent the United States in the talks, which will also include UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy and senior officials from France and Germany. French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to meet with the US delegation before broader discussions take place.
European diplomats say they will urge the US to increase pressure on Russia to agree to an unconditional ceasefire. “We want the US to use a bit more stick,” one European official said, reflecting growing frustration in Europe over the ongoing bloodshed and the lack of a breakthrough in peace negotiations.
The US State Department confirmed that the talks would focus on strategies to end the fighting and that Witkoff will brief his counterparts on a recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the contents of that meeting remain largely undisclosed, it underscores the Trump administration’s backchannel diplomacy with Moscow.
European nations have become increasingly anxious about the war’s trajectory, particularly in the wake of recent Russian attacks that killed dozens. For many, the time has come to pursue an immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities.
Trump has maintained that he could end the war within 24 hours, a claim he made as early as May 2023. His administration has worked to mend ties with Moscow, seeking to broker a ceasefire. However, the process has at times excluded Ukraine from key negotiations, sparking criticism. Relations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remain tense after a heated exchange at the White House in February.
As diplomacy intensifies in Paris, the world will be watching to see whether these talks can lay the groundwork for a lasting peace or deepen divisions over how best to bring the war in Ukraine to an end.
