PARIS (MNN); European leaders on Monday reaffirmed their support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he sought backing for revisions to a controversial US peace proposal that initially leaned in Russia’s favour. Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s envoy travelled to Moscow to brief the Kremlin.
Zelensky received a warm welcome from French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, where both leaders held a conference call with around a dozen European leaders, including those from Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland and the European Union. Zelensky posted on X that ending the war urgently required the active engagement of every key leader.
Macron shared a photo of himself and Zelensky walking past an honour guard at the Elysee Palace.
Zelensky clarified that discussions between US and Ukrainian negotiators had not yet produced final adjustments to the proposed American peace plan, even after two rounds of talks aimed at altering provisions that initially supported core Russian wartime demands.
He noted that tough issues were still unresolved following Sunday’s talks at a luxury Florida resort owned by Trump’s envoy and real-estate businessman Steve Witkoff. Witkoff later departed for Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The US and Ukraine have not yet publicly disclosed any agreed-upon changes to the 28-point plan, which Washington sent to Kyiv less than two weeks ago. Kyiv and several European governments are seeking revisions to clauses requiring Ukraine to cede more territory, reduce its military size, abandon its NATO aspirations and ban Western troops. Ukraine says such terms amount to surrender and leave it vulnerable to future Russian aggression.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who hosted the talks at Witkoff’s Shell Bay club near Miami, said Washington remained realistic about the challenges but hopeful due to recent progress.
He added that the process remained delicate and involved several moving pieces, including Russia, which would be part of the equation once Witkoff reached Moscow.
The negotiations come at a difficult time for Kyiv, which is losing ground on the battlefield and facing a major corruption scandal. Zelensky’s chief of staff, who led the Ukrainian side in peace talks, resigned after investigators raided his home. Two ministers have been dismissed, and one of Zelensky’s former business partners has been named a suspect.
Trump, who has promised a swift end to the war, voiced frustration over delays in reaching an agreement, citing Ukraine’s internal problems.
Meanwhile, Russia continues its offensive without showing any sign of retreating from its hardline demands. At least four people were killed and 40 injured when Russian missiles struck vehicle repair workshops in Dnipro on Monday.
Russia also claimed to have captured another settlement, Klynove, in Donetsk, though the situation could not be confirmed independently. Moscow has been attempting to seize the destroyed city of Pokrovsk, its most significant potential victory in nearly two years.
Russian forces have intensified long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities, primarily targeting energy facilities and leaving civilians in freezing conditions as winter begins.
Ukraine has also continued long-range strikes aimed at disrupting Russia’s oil exports. On Monday, the Kremlin condemned Ukrainian attacks on an oil-export terminal linked to a pipeline from Kazakhstan and on two tankers in the Black Sea.
