US to hold talks on Ukraine with European allies

The US on Thursday,April 16, 2025, announced plans to hold talks concerning Ukraine in Paris, with European allies.

The BBC reports that UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will also be in Paris for the talks.

According to the BBC, Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and top diplomat Marco Rubio will hold the talks on Thursday.

The aim will be to discuss efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

Ukraine’s foreign minister and defence minister have arrived in the French capital to take part in the discussions.

The talks, , form the highest level of transatlantic engagement about the war since February.

European diplomats have said they will urge the US to put more pressure on Russia to agree an unconditional ceasefire.

“We want the US to use a bit more stick,” one official said.

Witkoff and Rubio will see French President Emmanuel Macron and his team.

This will come before the US Secretary of State holds talks with Lammy and his French and German counterparts.

European national security advisers will be involved as well.

The US State Department said the focus would be on how to end the fighting in Ukraine.

It also said that Witkoff would report on his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said:

“we are working on important issues for the security of Ukraine and the whole of Europe”.

Ongoing efforts to secure a ceasefire come days after a Russian missile attack killed at least 35 people and injured 117 in the Ukrainian city of Sumy.

Earlier this month, at least 18 people died in a strike on a residential area in Kryvyi Rih.

In May 2023, prior to returning to the White House, Donald Trump said he would be able to settle the war between Russia and Ukraine “in 24 hours”.

His administration has taken action to drastically improve relations with Moscow, while seeking to broker a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.

However, it has also held negotiations with Moscow that have cut out Kyiv.

President Zelensky previously warned Ukraine would not accept a peace deal, if his country was not involved any such agreement.

Tensions between Trump and Zelensky have been high since a heated confrontation at the White House in February.

There, the US leader chided Ukraine’s president for not starting peace talks with Russia earlier.

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