Zelensky, Macron to hold talks on 'durable peace' in Paris Dec. 1
President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Paris on Dec. 1 to discuss Ukraine's path to peace with French President Emmanuel Macron, the French government said in a statement on Nov. 29.
The leaders will discuss "the conditions of a just and durable peace" in Ukraine, according to Macron's office.
The scheduled talks come shortly after U.S., Ukrainian, and European representatives met in Geneva to negotiate the terms of a U.S.-backed peace plan. A delegation of Ukrainians is also currently bound for Washington to hold further negotiations with the U.S. side.
Zelensky last visited Paris two weeks ago, signing a defense treaty with Macron on Nov. 17. The leaders announced a long-term deal for Ukraine to acquire weapons from France, including 100 Rafale fighter jets.
Since then, Ukrainian and European partners have been scrambling to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's latest push to end Russia's war against Ukraine. The original 28-point plan, crafted by Trump's Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Kremlin aide Kirill Dimitriev, skewed heavily in favor of Moscow.
In subsequent talks, the plan has reportedly been cut down and revised to better reflect Ukraine's position, but negotiations remain ongoing — as have mass Russian drone and missile attacks and political turmoil in Kyiv.
Zelensky's meeting with Macron comes shortly after the resignation of Andriy Yermak, former Head of the Presidential Office and Zelensky's closest aide. Yermak submitted his resignation on Nov. 28 after the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) searched his premises as part of a corruption investigation.
Yermak was Ukraine's lead negotiator in the Geneva peace talks. The talks in Washington will be led by National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov, who is also being investigated for corruption. Umerov is expected to provide a report on the progress of the talks on Nov. 30.
