First High-Level Talks Between the UK-France 'Coalition of Will' and the United States
Diplomatic and security delegations from the United States, Ukraine, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and others held a relay meeting on the 17th (local time) in Paris, France, to discuss ceasefire negotiations for Ukraine. This was the de facto first high-level dialogue between the international coalition 'Coalition of Will,' led by the UK and France to guarantee Ukraine's post-war security, and the U.S. Donald Trump administration. The participants confirmed a consensus on a 'solid peace' and planned to meet again next week in London to continue ceasefire negotiation efforts.
According to the ?lys?e Palace, President Macron held a luncheon meeting in the afternoon with U.S. Secretary of State Mark Rubio and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss peace negotiation measures to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This was the first official visit to France by Secretary Rubio and Envoy Witkoff.
The meeting was also attended by French Foreign Minister Jean-No?l Barrot and President Emmanuel Macron's foreign affairs advisor. Jonathan Powell, the UK National Security Advisor, also attended at President Macron's invitation.
The ?lys?e Palace explained that the meeting also discussed tariff issues between Europe and the U.S. and diplomatic responses to ease tensions in the Middle East. The British daily The Guardian, citing French diplomatic sources, reported that Secretary Rubio and Minister Barrot discussed the Ukraine war, Middle East situation, and Iran nuclear issue during the meeting.
From Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, Chief of Staff to the President, Andriy Syvukha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Rustem Umerov, Minister of Defense, visited Paris. From Germany, Jens Flottner, National Security Advisor, also visited the ?lys?e Palace.
The high-level delegations held multilateral talks from morning until afternoon. At 10 a.m., the French, British, and German delegations met with the Ukrainian delegation, and at 11:30 a.m., European representatives met with the U.S. delegation.
After the morning meeting, Chief of Staff Yermak wrote on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "We discussed the next steps to achieve a fair and sustainable peace," adding, "We discussed the implementation of a comprehensive ceasefire, participation of multinational military forces, and the establishment of an effective security system for Ukraine."
Subsequently, a comprehensive meeting involving representatives from the U.S., Ukraine, and Europe was held at 3 p.m. At 5 p.m., a full meeting including President Macron and U.S. Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg took place. Prior to this, President Macron had a luncheon with the U.S. side and spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before the talks.
At the meeting, President Macron said, "Everyone wants a solid and sustainable peace," adding, "The issue is phased peace."
Envoy Kellogg described the talks as "very productive" but did not disclose specific details.
Since Envoy Witkoff visited Russia on the 11th and met with President Vladimir Putin just six days before this meeting, it is believed that President Putin's stance on ceasefire negotiations was also shared during the talks. However, the specific details of the discussions were not disclosed.
Earlier, in an interview with Fox News on the 14th, Envoy Witkoff stated that the peace agreement proposed by Russia depends on five Ukrainian territories. The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by saying it would never recognize these areas as Russian territory and urged the international community to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity and borders.
According to the European edition of the political media outlet Politico, the participants agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire, but after the discussions, an ?lys?e Palace official told Politico, "Russia currently occupies several territories," emphasizing pragmatism.
The ?lys?e Palace described the relay talks as the beginning of a positive process involving Europe and stated that "an agreement was reached on the goal of solid peace." It was reported that representatives from the five countries attending would meet again next week in London. The purpose of this meeting was "to help Ukraine better understand the U.S. proposals," and the attendance of Secretary Rubio, Envoy Witkoff, and Envoy Kellogg "shows recognition of Europe's important role," it added.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying that Secretary Rubio and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a phone call and informed about the meetings held in Paris with representatives from Ukraine and European countries. Considering the upcoming U.S.-Ukraine-Europe meeting in London next week, the two ministers agreed to maintain swift communication.
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