French President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Paris, France, on the 1st to review the status of negotiations to end the war.
Zelensky arrived at the Élysée Palace around 11 a.m. and held lengthy talks with Macron. This is his tenth visit to Paris since Russia's invasion.
Right after the talks, Zelensky said on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), "We reviewed countless details with President Macron," adding, "The main focus was negotiations to end the war and security guarantees."
The Élysée Palace, the French presidential office, said the two leaders also exchanged views with Steve Witkoff, the U.S. envoy leading cease-fire negotiations, and Rustem Umerov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council and head of the Ukrainian negotiating team. This is seen as aimed at reconfirming Ukraine's negotiating conditions ahead of Witkoff's visit to Russia on the 2nd.
At a joint press conference, Macron praised U.S. mediation efforts but stressed that "only Ukraine can discuss territorial issues." He also said, "Security guarantees cannot be discussed without Ukraine and European allies," adding that talks on security guarantees among Ukraine's supporting countries are effectively in the final stage. He added, "In the coming days, there will be key discussions to clarify how the United States will participate in this package of guarantees."
Macron also said sanctions against Russia will be further tightened in the coming weeks.
At the briefing, Zelensky said, "Ukraine's security and sovereignty must be guaranteed," and, "A third invasion by Russia must never happen." He added, "For the long-term interests of the democratic world, we must end the war with dignity, and the peace plan is gradually improving."
However, Zelensky noted that territorial issues remain the most difficult challenge to resolve, saying, "After the meeting between the U.S. envoy and Russian President Putin, we will be able to gauge where we stand."
Zelensky's visit to Paris comes as his close associates have recently been embroiled in a corruption scandal and have resigned one after another.
Regarding this, Macron, responding to a reporter's question, said, "Ukraine has institutions that function well and can make responsible decisions," and assessed, "The necessary measures were made sovereignly by Ukraine's decision-makers."
After finishing his schedule in Paris, Zelensky moved on to Ireland. According to French media, this is his first visit to Ireland, a European Union (EU) member state and a militarily neutral country. On the 2nd, Zelensky is scheduled to hold talks with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin and Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris.