US, Russian envoys meet in Paris as Zelensky seeks meeting with Trump
U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner met Jan. 7 in Paris with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev to discuss Washington's peace plan for Ukraine, Axios reported Jan. 8, citing an unnamed source.
The meeting followed the Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris on Jan. 6, where Witkoff and Kushner participated in two days of negotiations with senior Ukrainian and European officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.
Zelensky is meanwhile seeking another meeting with Trump to press for U.S.-backed security guarantees and increased pressure on Moscow, which has shown little interest in the latest peace proposal. Axios reported that Zelensky could travel to the United States as early as next week or seek a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
In a social media post earlier today, Zelensky said a draft Ukraine-U.S. security agreement is "essentially ready" for finalization, pending Trump's approval.
He also acknowledged Washington's' plans to engage directly with Moscow: "We understand that the American side will engage with Russia, and we expect feedback on whether the aggressor is genuinely willing to end the war," Zelensky said.
Ukraine has been engaged for weeks in multilateral negotiations amid a renewed U.S.-led push for peace. Zelensky said the talks have reached a "new milestone," with an agreement to end Russia's war against Ukraine "90% ready."
As negotiations continue, Moscow has maintained its attacks on Ukraine, striking energy infrastructure across the country. In recent days, Russian forces have targeted regional capitals in eastern and southern Ukraine, leaving entire oblasts without power.
