Emmanuel Macron meets Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff for talks on Ukraine – Europe reside

Jakub Krupa

As we await additional updates from the talks going down at the Élysée, let me deliver you another tales from round Europe.

In the meantime, Russia’s high financial negotiator claimed that some nations had been making an attempt to “derail” Moscow’s talks with the US, as the 2 sides work in the direction of normalising ties.

“There are a lot of people, structures, countries trying to disrupt our dialogue with the United States. There is a very active propaganda against Russia going on in the United States in various mass media,” Kirill Dmitriev, who can be the top of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, instructed reporters, AFP mentioned.

French president Emmanuel Macron has simply formally welcomed Rubio and Witkoff, accompanied by France’s international minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

Their assembly is about to get underneath method, and the French presidency mentioned that Macron spoke with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy simply earlier than assembly the US delegation.

Ukrainian international minister Andrii Sybiha has simply posted on replace on his separate talks with British, French and German companions at the Élysée earlier at this time.

He mentioned they “discussed the paths to a fair and lasting peace, including full ceasefire, multinational contingent, and security guarantees for Ukraine.”

First conferences of the day at the moment are underneath method, with White Home envoy Steve Witkoff assembly with French president Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne on the Élysée.

And we’ve simply heard from Moscow, with the Kremlin welcoming at this time’s assembly in Paris as an opportunity for Witkoff to replace Europeans on his lengthy dialog with Russian president Vladimir Putin final week.

“The United States is continuing to work in this direction with the Europeans and with the Ukrainians,” Peskov mentioned.

“Unfortunately, from the Europeans we see a focus on continuing the war,” he mentioned, as reported by Reuters.

Setting the scene for at this time’s conferences in Paris, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged companions to “put pressure on the killers” after one other Russian assaults on Dnipro, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv and Donetsk in a single day, which left three individuals lifeless, and 28 injured.

In a put up on Telegram, he mentioned that each defence package deal for Ukraine is “literally protecting lives,” as “Russia uses every day and every night to kill.”

“We must put pressure on the killers and help life in order to end this war and guarantee a reliable peace,” he mentioned.

“I want to thank all the partners who are using their capabilities in this way. Wars are stopped by force – [the use of] force against the aggressor … in defence of life,” he mentioned.

Drug-traffickers had been most probably behind an unprecedented wave of assaults towards French prisons although international affect and the far-left stay potential instigators, French inside minister Bruno Retailleau mentioned.

“It’s most likely drug-dealing scum. It is one of the most credible scenarios,” Retailleau instructed RTL radio, Reuters reported.

The information company reported that no less than 9 jail services and affiliated establishments have been focused with nightly arson and different assaults this week and a automotive was set alight on the dwelling of a jail guard.

Former UK minister says he’s ‘disgusted’ by Trump’s ‘weasel language’ on Russia

Martin Pengelly

Saying himself “disgusted” by Donald Trump’s favorable perspective to Russia and Vladimir Putin, the previous UK defence minister Grant Shapps mentioned the US president calling a Russian missile strike that killed dozens in Ukraine final weekend a “mistake” was an instance of “weasel language we used to hear … from the IRA” terrorist group.

“All anybody needs Putin to do is get the hell out of a democratic neighboring country,” Shapps instructed the One Determination podcast, relating to makes an attempt to finish the conflict in Ukraine that has raged since Russia invaded in February 2022.

“And I just have to [put] this on record: it disgusts me, I feel disgusted [by] the idea that the leader of the free world cannot tell the difference between the dictator who locks up and murders his opponents and invades innocent democratic countries and the country itself that has been invaded.

“This lack of moral clarity is completely demoralizing for the rest of the democratic world.”

Full story:

Easter is simply not far away, however in a final push earlier than the break there may be lots of high-stake diplomacy deliberate for at this time.

US state secretary Marco Rubio and White Home envoy Steve Witkoff are in Paris this morning for conferences with European companions on Ukraine, Center East, and different international and commerce coverage points.

The pair is predicted to fulfill the French president, Emmanuel Macron, but additionally three EU international ministers: Britain’s David Lammy, France’s Jean-Noël Barrot, Germany’s Annalena Baerbock.

A Ukrainian delegation can be on the town, led by high Zelenskyy’s aide Andriy Yermak and accompanied by international minister Andriy Sybiga and defence minister Rustem Umerov.

Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni went the opposite method, as she is in Washington DC to fulfill with US president Donald Trump later at this time.

French defence minister Sébastien Lecornu can be stateside, with a deliberate assembly with US defence secretary Pete Hegseth.

It’s not clear what, if something, of what they focus on might be made public – however you possibly can ensure that you can find all of the updates we will get for you right here.

It’s Thursday, 17 April 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa right here, and that is Europe Stay.

Good morning.