{"id":31364,"date":"2025-04-18T22:45:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T22:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/31364\/"},"modified":"2025-04-18T22:45:13","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T22:45:13","slug":"after-paris-talks-a-new-chapter-in-ukraine-peace-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/31364\/","title":{"rendered":"After Paris Talks, A New Chapter In Ukraine Peace Drive?"},"content":{"rendered":"

There was recently talk of getting a Ukraine cease-fire in place by Easter. That hasn\u2019t happened, but there may have been some tangible progress<\/strong><\/a> in diplomatic efforts to cheer hearts this weekend.<\/p>\n

The noises coming out of Paris following high-level talks between key European countries, Ukraine, and the United States have been unusually positive.<\/p>\n

It was the first such meeting between them in this format, and in many ways the omens were not good.<\/p>\n

US efforts to get Russia to agree to any kind of a cease-fire have been met with vague words and increased bombing<\/strong><\/a> by Moscow.<\/p>\n

US special envoy Steve Witkoff said a deal was \u201cemerging\u201d after his third meeting<\/strong><\/a> with Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 11 — hinting that Ukraine must make massive territorial concessions to Russia.<\/p>\n

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Witkoff of \u201cspreading Russian narratives.\u201d<\/p>\n

No Cameras, Please<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Paris, a 45-second video was released showing Emmanuel Bonne, a senior French adviser, apparently asking Witkoff to begin proceedings with a debrief before the camera team was hustled out by security.<\/p>\n

It seemed as if they wanted to kick the cameras out before he said anything.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s perfectly clear that most of the European leaders, including [French President Emmanuel] Macron, are fully opposed to all the proposals made, especially by Steve Witkoff,\u201d French political analyst Nicolas Tenzer told RFE\/RL.<\/p>\n

But Tenzer, who is chairman of the Center for Studies and Research on Political Decision (CERAP), a Paris think tank, added that the meeting itself was a sign of progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are now understanding that they cannot make any kind of agreement without the Europeans,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

New agreements on Ukraine were not declared. But the parties did agree that there would be more talks next week in London in the new format: Europe, Ukraine, and the United States. This seems to be a major development.<\/p>\n

\"Minsters<\/p>\n

Minsters of Foreign Affairs meet in Paris, April 17, 2025<\/p>\n

A Place At The Table<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also at the Paris talks was US envoy Keith Kellogg, who in Munich<\/strong><\/a> in February said Europe would not have a place at the table when Ukraine\u2019s future was negotiated. Kellogg has himself since been largely absent from key meetings.<\/p>\n

“The ‘E3’ are around the table and we’re doing it with a European ambition,” said a French diplomat, referring to Britain, France, and Germany collectively.<\/p>\n

Alina Polyakova, president of the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) in Washington, also said the meeting suggested that Washington was now seeking support from Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey realized that you need European input because they have skin in the game,\u2033 she said.<\/p>\n

\u2019\u2019This is not just about a swath of territory in Ukraine. This is about broader questions of European security and you can\u2019t disentangle those.\u2033<\/p>\n

There were also diplomatic developments elsewhere.<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump meets with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the Oval Office, April 17, 2025<\/p>\n

While leaders gathered in Paris, US President Donald Trump was hosting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in the White House.<\/p>\n

He said there could be two other developments in the coming days: an agreement with Ukraine in giving the United States access to its rare earth minerals<\/strong><\/a>, and a response from Russia on a possible cease-fire in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

In both cases, earlier optimistic statements from US officials have failed to bear fruit.<\/p>\n

But the prospect of a new diplomatic track involving Europe, Ukraine, and the United States is genuinely new. The question now is whether the announced meeting in London will be the start of a fruitful new diplomatic process \u2013 or just another dead end.<\/p>\n