The Élysée said the purpose of the meeting was to allow Ukraine to better understand the American proposals.
At Thursday’s high-level talks in Paris, the United States presented its European allies with a set of proposals to enable peace between Russia and Ukraine, outlining conditions for halting hostilities and easing sanctions on Moscow, contingent on the establishment of a lasting cease-fire.
According to the Élysée—the office of the French president—all the “key components” of a cease-fire, as well as security guarantees, were discussed. One element of the U.S. proposal, the Élysée said, involves effectively freezing the conflict along current frontlines.
“The fact is that a number of territories are currently occupied by Russia, and if the initial objective is to obtain a cease-fire, then it must be based on the current line of contact as it is,” an Élysée official, talking on the condition of anonymity, told The Epoch Times. “We have to start from the realities on the ground.”
However, Kyiv offered a firm rebuttal. In remarks to Le Monde, Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s chief of staff, said the country rejected the idea of any “recognition of Moscow’s occupation of its territories,” calling it a “red line.”
The Élysée characterized the purpose of the meeting as an effort to allow Ukraine to better understand the American proposals. The official said that the next step rests with Kyiv.
“The next step in the process is for Ukraine to share its own demands and its willingness to engage in the follow-up to the negotiations initiated by the Americans with the Russians,” the official said.
French, German, and British officials voiced support for “President Trump’s objective of quickly ending the war in Ukraine,” according to the Élysée. “We agreed on the necessity of a full cease-fire as soon as possible,” the official added.
The French presidency described the gathering as “an excellent exchange which allowed us to converge on what matters most: a solid peace for the benefit of Ukraine, and in doing so, also for the benefit of Europeans.”
Follow-up talks are expected to take place next week in London.
