“Macron announced the completion of work on key security guarantees, and also announced important negotiations with the participation of the United States”, — write: www.radiosvoboda.org
The French president announced in the coming days “important negotiations between American officials and the Coalition of the Willing to clarify America’s participation in these guarantees.”
“At the same time, discussions are ongoing so that Russia can provide full clarity to American mediators in this context regarding its commitment to peace. I have no doubt that we will all remain united in our support for Ukraine, respect for international law, as well as peace and security for our Europe,” Macron emphasized.
The French leader said that on December 1, after discussions with Zelensky, the presidents contacted negotiators on the ground in Miami and European leaders to “plan the coming days and weeks and provide full information on progress.”
“The territorial issue is the most difficult, the issue of recovery money is, in my opinion… without the presence of European partners, it is not easy and difficult to accept, because the money is stored in Europe. It seems to me that this is not very fair and the issue of security guarantees, which is very important, specifics from the United States of America, specifics from the European side. That is, I would say that these are the three main topics (of the negotiation process – ed.),” Zelensky emphasized.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi arrived at the Elysee Palace in Paris on December 1 for talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, kicking off another week of intense diplomacy aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
The visit, aimed at finding “conditions for a just and lasting peace”, came a day after talks in Florida between the US and Ukrainian delegations, which both sides described as productive, without providing further details.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaia Callas said on December 1 that “this could be a decisive week” for peace efforts.
US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, the Kremlin said, will hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 2. This will be Witkoff’s sixth meeting with Putin since January.
The initial US proposal of 28 points alarmed the Ukrainian authorities. On November 23, the Ukrainian delegation held talks with US Secretary of State Rubio and other American officials in Geneva.
Those talks resulted in a 19-point plan that leaves several important issues on the table, including the fate of part of Ukraine’s Donbas, Ukraine’s aspirations for NATO and a potential cap on Kyiv’s armed forces. A week later, negotiations took place in Florida.