Ukraine's Future Subject of Paris Talks04/17 06:06

   Paris is hosting a series of talks Thursday about Ukraine and its security, 
including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and presidential envoy Steve 
Witkoff, French President Emmanuel Macron and top Ukrainian officials.

   PARIS (AP) -- Paris is hosting a series of talks Thursday about Ukraine and 
its security, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and presidential 
envoy Steve Witkoff, French President Emmanuel Macron and top Ukrainian 
officials.

   Rubio arrived in Paris on Thursday morning. Rubio and Witkoff will have 
"talks with European counterparts to advance President Trump's goal to end the 
Russia-Ukraine war and stop the bloodshed," State Department spokeswoman Tammy 
Bruce said.

   The meetings come as concerns grow about Trump's readiness to draw closer to 
Russia as he seeks to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine and his administration's 
other moves, from tariffs on some of its closest partners to rhetoric about 
NATO and Greenland.

   Ukrainian presidential adviser Andrii Yermak, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha 
and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov also arrived in Paris on Thursday to take 
part in the talks.

   Yermak described them as "a series of bilateral and multilateral meetings 
with representatives of the states of the coalition of the willing that are 
able to guarantee security." The Ukrainian delegation is also to meet with U.S. 
officials, Yermak said.

   Around 30 countries led by Britain and France have been discussing a 
possible coalition to police any future peace agreement with Russia. The 
success of the coalition's operation hinges on U.S. backup with airpower or 
other military assistance, but the Trump administration has made no public 
commitment to provide support.

   British Foreign Secretary David Lammy is also taking part in the Ukraine 
discussions, along with the German government's foreign policy adviser and the 
Foreign Ministry's political director.

   Macron will hold separate meetings with Rubio and Witkoff. Macron also plans 
to discuss the impact of Trump's tariff policies and the conflicts in the 
Mideast, "in a logic of de-escalation in the region," Macron's office said.

   In Ukraine, a massive drone attack hit the city of Dnipro on Wednesday 
night, killing three people including a child, the regional leader said. 
Ukrainian government officials and military analysts have said that Russian 
forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks 
to maximize pressure on Kyiv and strengthen the Kremlin's negotiating position 
in ceasefire talks.

   Rubio and Witkoff have helped lead U.S. efforts to seek peace more than 
three years after Russia launched the war. Several rounds of negotiations have 
been held in Saudi Arabia, and Witkoff met last week with Russian President 
Vladimir Putin.

   Moscow has effectively refused to accept a comprehensive ceasefire that 
Trump has pushed and Ukraine has endorsed. Russia has made it conditional on a 
halt in Ukraine's mobilization efforts and Western arms supplies, which are 
demands rejected by Ukraine.