Chicago – April 18, 2025
European and Ukrainian officials met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff in Paris on Thursday after weeks of being sidelined in US President Donald Trump’s push to end the war in Ukraine through direct talks with Moscow.
Ukrainian and US officials had an “excellent exchange” with their British, French and German counterparts, according to a source at France’s Elysée Palace, with the meetings providing “a very strong strategic opportunity.”
A US-authored outline of a peace plan had received an “encouraging reception” at the talks, according to a State Department readout, which did not give details on the outline.
Following the talks, Rubio spoke with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and conveyed the same outline, the readout said.
“President Trump and the United States want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace,” it said.
Ukraine and the three US allies stressed their shared support for Trump’s efforts to bring about a rapid end to the war, according to the Elysée source.
