Paris, 17 April 2025
Today we had some positive and very constructive discussions in Paris, on President Macron’s invitation and in the wake of what happened when Notre-Dame was reopened, when France hosted the United States on the one hand and Ukraine on the other to ensure that talks could begin.
What’s new, as it were, is that in Paris today the United States, Ukraine and the Europeans came back together around the same table to discuss the follow-up to the efforts we all want to make to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine as quickly as possible, enabling talks to begin with a view to a just and lasting peace.
These very open, very frank talks allowed us to make progress on the thinking of the Europeans, the Ukrainians and the Americans, who agreed to meet in London next week to continue the discussions on that basis, so that we can hope, in the very near future, to achieve this full, unconditional ceasefire to which the Ukrainians have already agreed and to which we’d like Russia to agree in turn.
Between now and then, we’re continuing to support Ukraine because, as everyone knows, Europeans’ security and the future and stability in Europe are currently at stake in Ukraine. That’s why President Macron and I are devoting time and energy to this issue, which is crucial to our future and that of our children.
To go into detail, we had discussions hosted by President Macron at lunch, then talks that continued in an expanded format throughout the afternoon. A report on the discussions was subsequently made to the President. And just now, together with my British counterpart and the German representative, I welcomed the US Secretary of State, to conclude this day dedicated in particular to the Ukraine issue but also other major geopolitical crises, before my British colleague David Lammy, the German representative and I joined our Ukrainian colleague, to whom we’re going to continue talking in the coming days to prepare the next meeting, which will be held next week with the Americans, Ukrainians and Europeans.
For a long time people thought the Europeans wouldn’t be around the table. Well, in Paris today the Europeans, Americans and Ukrainians got together for the first time.
Thank you./.