Rubio, Witkoff Head to France for Talks on Ukraine, Other Issues
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Donald Trump’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are set to visit Paris to discuss the war in Ukraine and other subjects of mutual interest with French officials, Politico reports.
Rubio is expected to meet with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barraud, while Witkoff, a former real estate investor with no prior diplomatic experience, will sit down with President Emmanuel Macron.
The talks will focus on possible ways to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, along with other topics such as Iran and US import tariffs.
Macron, who is leading efforts in Europe to offer security guarantees to Ukraine after the war ends, is a key figure in the discussions.
Macron’s discussion with Witkoff comes just days after the envoy met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to talk about a potential ceasefire in Ukraine, following Russia-US talks having been stalled in recent weeks.
The Moscow meeting was described as “another step in the negotiating process toward a ceasefire,” despite Trump’s “frustration,” according to the White House press secretary.
This meeting was followed by one of the deadliest Russian attacks on Ukraine. On Palm Sunday, April 13, Russia launched a missile strike on the northeastern city of Sumy, killing at least 35 people and wounding 119 others.
Ironically, commenting on his encounter with Putin in a televised interview with Fox News on Monday, Witkoff said that the discussions offered the potential to “reshape” the Russia-US relationship and that Vladimir Putin was open to a “permanent peace” agreement with Ukraine.
Source: Kyiv Post