Trilateral talks on peace for Ukraine held

PARIS — France hosted a trilateral meeting on Ukraine on Thursday, marking the first time the United States, Ukraine and Europe sat together at the negotiation table since US President Donald Trump assumed office in January. Meanwhile, Kyiv said a pact signed with Washington was the first step toward a minerals deal.

The Paris meeting was the first time representatives of the US, Ukraine and Europe have been "at the same table", French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the News Channel LCI.

The meetings included French President Emmanuel Macron, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoy Steve Witkoff, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, German officials and Ukrainian ministers.

Barrot emphasized that the meeting was "essential" as it aimed to advance a shared objective: peace in Ukraine.

European leaders have voiced concern and frustration over the Trump administration's approach to talks on the Ukraine-Russia conflict that leaves Kyiv and its European backers on the sideline.

They have consistently emphasized that "no durable peace" can be achieved in Ukraine without European participation in the talks.

Rubio again pressed for a US peace plan during the discussions in Paris.

He later called Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to discuss the Paris meeting.

"President Trump and the United States want this war to end, and have now presented to all parties the outlines of a durable and lasting peace," Rubio told his Russian counterpart, according to the US State Department.

In a statement, Russia's Foreign Ministry said Lavrov "reaffirmed Moscow's readiness to continue collaborative efforts with American counterparts to comprehensively address the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis".

Lavrov and Rubio agreed on the need to maintain "prompt communication channels" in light of the London meeting next week, the statement said. A second round of such talks is scheduled to take place in London next week. After the meeting in Paris, Rubio said on Friday that Washington could soon exit efforts to reach a ceasefire if it decided peace was not "doable".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the talks, saying it was important to work toward "real security" in Europe.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, dismissed the Paris meeting, saying earlier that Europeans seemed to have "a focus on continuing the war".

Macron said the Paris talks were "a very important occasion for convergence," as everybody wanted "a robust and sustainable peace".

Initial step

In another development, Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Thursday that Kyiv and Washington had signed a memorandum as an initial step toward clinching an agreement on developing mineral resources in Ukraine — a deal promoted by Trump.

"Ukraine and the United States of America signed a memorandum, which attests to the constructive collaboration of our teams and the intention to finalize and conclude an agreement that will benefit both our peoples," Svyrydenko said.

According to the post, the document was signed by Svyrydenko in Kyiv and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington.

Svyrydenko said the two countries will finalize the text of the minerals agreement and sign it in the near future, adding that the agreement will be subject to "ratification by parliaments".

Earlier on Thursday, Trump said the deal could be signed next week.

Although both had been poised in February to sign a deal for cooperation on natural resources, it was delayed after an Oval Office meeting between Trump and Zelensky turned into a shouting match.

Recent strikes, which have killed dozens of people in Ukrainian cities, have increased the pressure for new diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, the Agence France-Presse reported.

Agencies - Xinhua