European leaders gather in Paris as US‑Russia talks loom
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced that on Monday evening, he had a phone conversation with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. The discussion focused on security guarantees and achieving lasting peace in Ukraine.
"We share a common vision: security guarantees must be robust and reliable," Zelensky declared on platform X. "Any other decision without such guarantees—such as a fragile ceasefire—would only serve as another deception by Russia and a prelude to a new Russian war against Ukraine or other European nations," Zelensky warned.
Meeting of European leaders in Paris
On Monday in Paris, an informal meeting of European leaders was convened by President Macron.
Heads of government from Poland, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark attended. Also present were NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa.
USA and Russia talks in Riyadh
On Tuesday at 4:00 a.m. ET in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, U.S. and Russian delegations will meet. This will be the first such meeting since the war in Ukraine began. The discussions will cover restoring bilateral relations and preparing for possible peace talks regarding Ukraine.
The meeting will include U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Special Envoy for the Middle East Steven Witkoff.
The Russian side will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, presidential advisor on foreign policy Yuri Ushakov, and Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian national wealth fund.
The authorities of Ukraine and the European Union were not invited to participate in this meeting. Despite earlier statements from Donald Trump, who suggested the meeting could mark the beginning of resolutions for ending the war in Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce stated that the U.S. does not view this meeting as the start of negotiations nor a "step towards any negotiations."
