US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to hold talks in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss the Trump administration’s controversial proposal to end the war in Ukraine.
The meeting comes after Washington said it was feeling confident about the plan, following talks with Ukrainian negotiators in Florida.
“I think the administration feels very optimistic,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday.
Meanwhile Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was seeking support from European allies, who fear that the US plan — drafted without input from Kyiv or Europe — reads like a wishlist for Moscow.
But Ukraine’s negotiator Rustem Umerov said “significant progress” had been achieved in the Florida talks, even though more work was needed on “challenging” issues.
Zelensky arrived in Ireland Monday night for an in-person briefing from Umerov after talks in Paris with President Emmanuel Macron.
He was greeted on the tarmac by Prime Minister Micheal Martin, who posted on social media “Our support for the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and democracy remains unwavering.”
More than three-and-a-half years into Russia’s large-scale offensive in Ukraine, an AFP analysis of data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) showed that the Russian army last month made its biggest advance in Ukraine since November 2024.
The situation for Kyiv has been further complicated by a corruption scandal that has rocked Zelensky’s inner circle and forced the dismissal last week of his top negotiator and chief of staff, Andriy Yermak.
“We are expecting a conversation with the president of the United States on key issues that are quite challenging,” Zelensky said in Paris.
He said Russia had stepped up missile and drone strikes on his country to “break” the will of Ukrainians.
“This is serious pressure, not only psychological but also physical pressure on our population,” Zelensky said.
Macron said the current moment “could be decisive for the future of peace in Ukraine and security in Europe.”
Zelensky insisted Russia should not receive any concession that “it could consider as a reward for this war.”
“The aggressor must pay for the aggression,” he said.
Zelensky and Macron spoke by telephone to Witkoff and Umerov in Florida, the Elysee Palace said, while Zelensky’s talks in Paris also included phone conversations with other European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The flurry of communication continued with a call between Macron and Trump later Monday in which they discussed “next steps in the mediation efforts” and the French president “particularly emphasised the central importance of security guarantees necessary for Ukraine”, according to the Elysee.
