Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has emphasized that “war must end as soon as possible” following intensive diplomatic meetings in Paris and Miami focused on peace negotiations.
Zelensky held extensive discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, centered on ending the war and establishing security guarantees. In his social media update, the Ukrainian president stressed that reliable peace depends heavily on active leadership engagement.
Over the weekend, Ukraine’s negotiating team, headed by Rustem Umerov who leads the Security and Defense Council, conducted substantial talks in Miami with US representatives, including Trump’s Russia envoy Steve Witkoff, regarding a proposed peace framework. Zelensky characterized these discussions as highly productive.
Following the Paris meeting, Zelensky participated in a joint conference call with Macron, Umerov, Witkoff, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to assess the Miami talks’ results.
The diplomatic activity occurs as Washington pushes forward with a US-supported peace initiative that initially faced criticism for suggesting Ukrainian territorial compromises and acknowledging Russian authority over Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk. After objections from Kyiv and European partners, the plan underwent revisions in Geneva. Witkoff is expected to travel to Moscow on Tuesday for further talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
These developments coincide with political upheaval in Kyiv following last week’s removal of Zelensky’s chief negotiator and chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, during a corruption investigation.
