Paris Talks on Ending Ukraine War Widely Hailed as Positive
Delegations from Ukraine, the United States, and several European countries convened in Paris for multilateral talks aimed at ending the war against Ukraine, The Gaze reports.
The meeting, involving talks with the Coalition of the Willing, marked the first time European allies sat at the same table with Ukraine and the US to discuss a pathway toward lasting peace.
Ukraine described the negotiations as “a constructive and positive discussion.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that a peace framework proposed by Washington received an “encouraging reception.”
“President Trump and the United States … have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace,” said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. “The encouraging reception in Paris to the U.S. framework shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement.”
French officials called the talks “excellent” and emphasized Europe’s renewed role in shaping Ukraine’s future. “Everyone wants to get peace. A robust and sustainable peace. The question is about phasing,” said President Emmanuel Macron
“We exchanged views on the next steps toward achieving a just and lasting peace, including the implementation of a full ceasefire, the involvement of a multinational military contingent, and the development of an effective security architecture for Ukraine,” Andriy Yermak, Head of Ukraine’s Office of the President, wrote on X.
Rubio also held a separate call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, reiterating Trump’s desire to end the war. However, frustrations are mounting in Washington over Moscow’s resistance. Trump has signaled possible “large-scale” sanctions if Russia fails to engage meaningfully.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu in Washington to discuss European defense commitments.
“We discussed the imperative need for Europeans to meet a 5% defense spending commitment to restore deterrence with ready, lethal conventional forces,” Hegseth posted on X. Lecornu called the talks “productive,” especially regarding post-ceasefire security guarantees for Ukraine.
While no major breakthroughs were revealed, negotiators agreed to continue talks next week in London.
Despite some calm in energy-related hostilities agreed in a partial ceasefire, Russia continues targeting Ukrainian civilians, complicating the negotiations. A Russian missile strike on the morning of 13 April in the centre of Sumy, in eastern Ukraine, killed at least 34 people, including two children.
As The Gaze previously reported, during its visit to France on 17 April, the Ukrainian delegation held its first multilateral meeting with representatives of the ‘coalition of the willing’ at the Elysee Palace.