President Volodymyr Zelensky met President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Monday as Ukraine works to keep European backing at a time when Washington is pressing a proposal to end the war with Russia.
Zelensky held talks at the Elysee while Kyiv weighs its options over the plan championed by US President Donald Trump, which several European governments fear could hand Moscow major concessions.
The diplomatic effort comes at a sensitive moment. A corruption scandal has shaken Zelensky’s inner circle, leading to the removal of his top negotiator and chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, and Russia is pushing forward on the battlefield more than three years into its full-scale invasion.
US and Ukrainian negotiators met for hours in Florida on Sunday, with both sides calling the discussions “productive.” Trump later said there was “a good chance we can make a deal.”
“The work for peace continues,” Macron posted on X after receiving Zelensky, noting that both leaders would brief the press later in the day. Zelensky wrote that there were “tough issues that still have to be worked through,” after also speaking with Finland’s President Alexander Stubb.
He described the talks in the United States as “very constructive,” adding that decisions on Ukraine’s next steps would be made after the delegation returned and reported back.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the coming days could be crucial. “It could be a pivotal week for diplomacy. We heard yesterday that the talks in America were difficult but productive,” she noted at a meeting of EU defence ministers.
Washington’s initial proposal, a 28-point outline drafted without input from European allies, was criticised for closely mirroring Russia’s maximalist territorial demands. It would have required Kyiv to withdraw from Donetsk and effectively accept US recognition of Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk as Russian territory.
After talks in Geneva last week, the United States revised the plan following objections from both Kyiv and Europe, but the updated terms have not been made public.
In an article for the Telegraph, Ukraine’s former armed forces chief Valery Zaluzhny warned against rushing into an agreement, saying that “a rushed peace will only lead to a devastating defeat and loss of independence.” Zaluzhny, now ambassador to London, argued that without firm security guarantees, including NATO membership, the war would likely continue because Russia’s objective remained “the abolition of Ukraine as an independent state.”
Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff is expected in Moscow on Tuesday for further discussions, including talks with President Vladimir Putin. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Florida negotiations were “very productive,” but stressed there was still “more work to be done.”
The diplomatic activity unfolds as fighting continues to take a toll. A Russian missile strike on the central city of Dnipro killed four people and injured nearly two dozen others on Monday, according to the regional governor. Images from local officials showed emergency crews working amid damaged vehicles and shattered buildings.
Zelensky is scheduled to travel to Ireland on Tuesday, his first official visit to the country, ahead of Dublin’s turn to assume the rotating EU presidency in 2026.