Macron to host Zelenskyy for Paris talks on Monday
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PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Paris on Monday for talks focused on efforts to secure what France called a “just and lasting peace”, the French presidency said on Saturday (Nov 29).
The announcement came as Kyiv navigates a period of political turmoil and as a senior Ukrainian delegation travelled to the United States to continue discussions on a US-backed framework aimed at ending the war with Russia.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told La Tribune Dimanche that France would “welcome President Zelenskyy to Paris on Monday to move the negotiations forward”. He said peace was within reach “if President Vladimir Putin abandons his delusional hope of reconstituting the Soviet Empire by first subjugating Ukraine”.
WARNINGS FOR MOSCOW
Barrot warned that Russia must accept a ceasefire or face “new sanctions that will exhaust its economy”, alongside intensified European support for Ukraine. He added that Macron and Zelenskyy have been in frequent contact, with the Ukrainian leader last visiting Paris on Nov 17.
The talks will take place as Zelenskyy manages political turbulence at home after dismissing his influential chief of staff Andriy Yermak following a major anti-corruption raid.
Despite the upheaval, Barrot said Zelenskyy retains “full legitimacy to lead Ukraine towards peace.”
The war, now in its fourth year, began after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
