Zelensky Turns to Europe After Talks With U.S. Officials

Ukraine’s president met with President Emmanuel Macron of France on Monday as Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s special envoy, travels to Russia.President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine and President Emmanuel Macron of France met in Paris on Monday, kicking off a week of diplomatic talks to end the war with Russia.Credit...Pool photo by Christophe EnaDec. 1, 2025, 5:51 a.m. ETPresident Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine was meeting in Paris on Monday with President Emmanuel Macron of France, seeking support from European allies while the Trump administration pushes to end the war with Russia.U.S. and Ukrainian officials met over the weekend in Florida to hammer out the details of a peace proposal. Both sides called the talks constructive but said there was more work to be done, without specifying what key issues remain unresolved.The meeting in Paris was expected to be the first of many this week, with Mr. Zelensky saying he expected to be in touch with several European allies.“These are important days, and much can change,” he said overnight on social media.As Mr. Zelensky was in Paris, Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for President Trump, was scheduled to travel to Moscow, where the Kremlin said he would meet on Tuesday with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia.Mr. Witkoff was involved in drafting an initial plan to end the war, which drew outrage from Ukraine and its European allies for echoing maximalist demands that Russia has made since it invaded Ukraine in 2022. Ukraine sought to soften parts of the proposal, leading to talks with U.S. officials in Geneva a week ago that resulted in a slimmed-down version of the plan.The two sides set aside some of the more contentious issues for future negotiations, including limits on the size of the Ukrainian military, a proposed ban on basing NATO troops inside Ukraine, and the question of where the new boundaries between Russia and Ukraine would be drawn. It was unclear whether any progress was made on those specific points during the talks in Florida.Rustem Umerov, who led Ukraine’s delegation in Florida, said the “substantive” discussions had been “difficult but productive.”“We have achieved tangible progress on the path toward a just peace,” he said on social media on Sunday, without providing details. “There is still much work ahead,” he added, echoing the assessment of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the U.S. team alongside Mr. Witkoff.Mr. Rubio has acknowledged that even if an agreement is reached with Ukraine, it would require buy-in from Russia.Mr. Trump told reporters overnight that he thinks Russia “would like to see” the war end and that “there’s a good chance we can make a deal.”But Mr. Putin has seemed disinclined to make any concessions to Ukraine to end a war in which his troops have an advantage on the battlefield. He has also defended Mr. Witkoff against accusations of pro-Kremlin bias.Ivan Nechepurenko contributed reporting from St. Petersburg, Russia.SKIP Site IndexNewsHome PageU.S.WorldPoliticsNew YorkEducationSportsBusinessTechScienceWeatherThe Great ReadObituariesHeadwayVisual InvestigationsThe MagazineArtsBook ReviewBest Sellers Book ListDanceMoviesMusicPop CultureTelevisionTheaterVisual ArtsLifestyleHealthWellFoodRestaurant ReviewsLoveTravelStyleFashionReal EstateT MagazineOpinionToday's OpinionColumnistsEditorialsGuest EssaysOp-DocsLettersSunday OpinionOpinion VideoOpinion AudioMoreAudioGamesCookingWirecutterThe AthleticJobsVideoGraphicsTrendingLive EventsCorrectionsReader CenterTimesMachineThe Learning NetworkSchool of The NYTinEducationAccountSubscribeManage My AccountHome DeliveryGift SubscriptionsGroup SubscriptionsGift ArticlesEmail NewslettersNYT LicensingReplica EditionTimes Store