Europeans, Americans and Ukrainians united in a brand new diplomatic format | EUROtoday

On Apr 17, 2025

Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.

CAnd the day marathon on the Élysée could have made it doable to attract the contours of a brand new diplomatic method on the Ukrainian battle. For the primary time for the reason that arrival of Donald Trump on the White House, Americans, Europeans and Ukrainians discovered themselves across the identical desk, in an unprecedented format which is able to maybe permit the negotiation playing cards. President Macron reported personally the discussions of the day at Volodymyr Zelensky on the finish of at the present time, as he had performed upstream of the conferences.

While Washington gave the impression to be tempted by a direct dialogue with Moscow, leaving Europeans on the sidelines, the Trump administration lastly agreed to be a part of a multilateral setting. The simultaneous presence in Paris of the Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the particular envoy Steve Witkoff and General Kellogg testifies to the significance given to this assembly by the Americans. “I discovered mediators, significantly attentive American negotiators. They are decided to reach on the earliest on the ceasefire, “said the French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot, on LCI.

Read too Who is Steve Witkoff, friend of Trump at the Center for negotiations with Russia? The E3 format (France, United Kingdom, Germany) + United States + Ukraine constitutes a diplomatic innovation which seems to mark an inflection in the American approach. “Americans perceive the curiosity of working with Europeans,” said an Elysian source after this long day. Perhaps because Donald Trump understands that Vladimir Putin is a more difficult customer than expected and that he does not get the inflections necessary to end the weapons.

A minute diplomatic ballet

The diplomatic day took place according to a carefully orchestrated ballet: from 10 am, Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic advisor and Sherpa G20/G7 of the French president, spoke with Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to the Ukrainian president, Jonathan Powell, British national security advisor, and Jens Plotner, his German counterpart. At 11:30 a.m., this same E3 format welcomed Steve Witkoff, a special American envoy for the Middle East. At 1:30 p.m., President Macron received Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, accompanied by Witkoff, in the presence of French Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

The afternoon was then devoted to a plenary meeting including all the actors, before a final session at 5 p.m. when the Ukrainian delegation expanded with the presence of Andriy Sybiha, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Roustem Umerov, Minister of Defense, while Keith Kellogg, Special American Envoy for Ukraine and Russia, also joined discussions. At the end of this day, Marco Rubio informed his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, of the content of the conversations.

The assumed objective of a quick ceasefire

On the merits, the discussions confirmed the shared objective: “to shortly finish the warfare in Ukraine” and to obtain “a whole ceasefire as shortly as doable”, indicates the Élysée. If this formulation may seem close to Russian positions, it is now part of a wider framework which includes the search for “safety ensures” for the future of Ukraine.

“Our goal is peace as shortly as doable, strong peace and peace that ensures respect for its important rights to Ukraine,” said the Elysian source, while recognizing that it is necessary to “begin from realities” and “to base your self on the contact line as it’s” to establish a cease-fire.

The thorny question of security guarantees

It is undoubtedly one of the most delicate points of the current negotiations. If the Americans say they are “prepared to debate the problem of safety ensures”, their precise content remains to be defined. The Franco-British initiative of a reinsurance force, however, seems to have caught Washington’s attention.

Read too Between Putin and Zelensky, five years of distrust and hatred “Americans recognize the work we’ve got launched in Franco-British,” said a relative of President Macron, recalling that the United States has publicly encouraged Europeans to “take extra duties” in this area.

Russians to “take the phrase”

The American approach concerning Moscow seems to be clarified. According to reported remarks, Vladimir Putin said to Steve Witkoff last week that he wanted “lasting peace”. The strategy is now “taking the Russians within the phrase” and “negotiating on the substance”.

The Americans would also be “able to play each incentive and strain on Russia”, including “the necessity for balanced negotiations” and a “steadiness of energy”. Donald Trump would have even mentioned the possibility that “the sanctions are strengthened if the Russians don’t severely interact” in the process. Recall that Europeans for their part prepare a 17th package of sanctions with regard to Moscow.

A dynamic that will continue in London

To uncover

The kangaroo of the day

Answer

This assembly in Paris was only a first step. The identical negotiators will meet in London subsequent week in the identical format ”, on the stage of nationwide safety advisers and negotiators. “Today we have triggered a process that is positive in Paris today and with which Europeans are associated,” welcomed the Élysée, thus suggesting the delivery of an actual Paris course of to attempt to resolve the battle.

Read too What Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump mentioned once they attractionThis lengthy diplomatic day can even have made it doable to method different worldwide crises. The French president was thus in a position to evoke with the American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and Steve Witkoff the Iranian and Israeli-Palestinian recordsdata. By managing to convey collectively all the important thing gamers across the identical desk, French diplomacy appears to have marked an essential level. It stays to be seen whether or not this “Paris process” will resist the take a look at of time and the inevitable Russian pressures whose laudable intentions are contradicted by the info: at all times extra bombing of civilians, elevated bonuses for the recruitment of 160,000 troopers …

https://www.lepoint.fr/monde/ukraine-europeens-americains-et-ukrainiens-unis-dans-un-nouveau-format-diplomatique-17-04-2025-2587616_24.php