Macron held talks with US officials regarding Ukraine and international security.
17.04.2025
2482

Journalist
Shostal Oleksandr
17.04.2025
2482

French President Emmanuel Macron had discussions on Thursday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Vitkoff at the Élysée Palace in Paris. Among those present at the meeting were French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, diplomatic advisor to the French president Emmanuel Bonne, and UK National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell, whom Macron invited to join the discussion, the Élysée Palace press service reported. The parties discussed peace negotiations to end the Russian aggression in Ukraine, the work of the 'coalition of the decisive', tariffs between Europe and the USA, as well as the situation in the Middle East. On the same day, April 17, a Ukrainian delegation arrived in Paris, consisting of Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha, head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Ukrainian representatives have already met with their colleagues from Britain, France, and Germany at the Élysée Palace. 'We discussed pathways to a just and lasting peace, including a full ceasefire, a multinational contingent, and security guarantees for Ukraine,' Sybiha wrote on the social media platform X. The Ukrainian delegation also has a scheduled meeting with American colleagues – Secretary of State Rubio and envoy Vitkoff. It is worth noting that France, along with the UK, leads a group of countries developing possible security guarantee options for Ukraine. Last week, Vitkoff met with Vladimir Putin. The American envoy called the talks 'convincing' and stated that the possibility of a peace agreement depends on 'five territories.' In parallel with these meetings, it became known that an informal meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of foreign ministers will take place on May 14-15 in Turkish Antalya, chaired by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The meeting will be held against the backdrop of pressure from US President Donald Trump regarding increased defense spending. In particular, Secretary of State Rubio insisted at the April meeting of the foreign ministers of the Allied states that all allies must commit to raising defense spending to 5% of GDP.
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