Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron Monday afternoon at a moment when diplomatic efforts around a US-driven peace plan are rapidly intensifying.
In the United States, Secretary of State Marco Rubio described discussions on Sunday with a Ukrainian delegation in Florida as “productive”, while acknowledging that there's "more work to be done".
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is due in Moscow on Tuesday for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The latest round of talks comes at a challenging moment for Kyiv. Russian forces continue to gain ground in eastern Ukraine, and Zelenskyy is facing domestic pressure following a major corruption probe that led to the resignation of his chief of staff Andriy Yermak, who had served as Ukraine’s main negotiator with the US.
Zelenskyy said the territorial dimension of the US-backed plan remains “the most difficult one”.
Macron underlined that no agreement will move forward without European participation, insisting that the process can only advance with Europeans “around the table”.
Macron added that no decisions have been finalised yet. Still, European leaders have developed a preliminary approach to security guarantees, which will continue to be discussed in the coming days with "Coalition of the Willing" partners.
Reporters questioned both leaders regarding the corruption case involving Zelenskyy’s inner circle.
"Our role is not to lecture Ukraine," Macron said. "The fight against corruption is working, since there are decisions that are open," he continued — drawing a contrast between Ukraine’s anti-corruption measures and the lack of accountability in Russia.
Macron also highlighted that pressure on Moscow is intensifying, noting that the EU has already adopted its 19th sanctions package and is preparing a 20th, now joined by the United States in targeting Russian oil companies.
He said the combined measures are unprecedented in their scope and warned that pressure will continue to grow in the coming weeks.
Beyond Paris, Macron and Zelenskyy spoke “successively” with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the leaders of Germany, Poland, Italy, Norway, Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands, as well as European Council President Antonio Costa, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
