Zelensky expected to meet European leaders in Paris on Thursday
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will meet several European leaders in Paris on Thursday, according to diplomatic sources cited by Agence France Presse. The talks, hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron, will focus on security guarantees for Ukraine and wider diplomatic efforts to end the war with Russia.
US president Donald Trump is not expected to attend, despite recently stepping up mediation attempts. Trump has met Russian president Vladimir Putin in Alaska and held talks with Zelensky and European leaders in Washington in August, but those efforts brought little progress.
Leaders expected in Paris include German chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK prime minister Keir Starmer, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.
European partners have promised long-term security support for Kyiv, including the possible deployment of a multinational "reassurance" force. But the Kremlin has rejected any NATO presence as part of a peace deal and has continued heavy strikes on Ukrainian cities.
Despite months of diplomacy, Moscow has continued to refuse a ceasefire. A breakthrough in Paris appears unlikely.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and French president Emmanuel Macron © ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP
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