PARIS — In a recent statement, the office of French President Emmanuel Macron asserted that any ceasefire agreement regarding Ukraine must “start from reality.” This remark is likely to intensify apprehensions in Kyiv about the possibility of having to relinquish territory to Russia.
During discussions held in Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, met with senior officials from the United Kingdom, Ukraine, and Germany. While all parties acknowledged the urgent need for a ceasefire, an official from the Elysée Palace emphasized a pragmatic approach, highlighting that “a number of territories are currently occupied by Russia.”
Pressure on Kyiv and territorial disputes
Witkoff, who has previously met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, recently indicated that the peace deal proposed by Russia revolves around “five territories of Ukraine.” Though he did not specify the territories, they likely include the Crimean Peninsula — which Russia annexed unlawfully in 2014 — as well as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia. These regions were subject to fraudulent referendums before being illegally annexed by the Kremlin, even though full control over these areas remains elusive for Russia.
In response to Witkoff’s statements, Ukraine’s foreign ministry firmly asserted that Kyiv will never recognize these territories as Russian, urging the international community to uphold Ukraine’s territorial integrity and its internationally accepted borders.
Moving towards a collaborative peace process
While delineating the territorial parameters of a ceasefire is only one of the numerous hurdles in forging an agreement, Macron’s office noted that Thursday represented the initiation of a “positive process involving Europeans.” An official from the Elysée stated, “Our goal is peace as quickly as possible, a solid peace and a peace that guarantees respect for Ukraine’s essential rights.”
European nations have faced challenges in securing a prominent role in the negotiations and have cautioned the U.S. administration against hastily agreeing to a ceasefire without robust security guarantees for Ukraine and a framework for monitoring and addressing any breaches of the truce.
To address this, France and the UK are leading a so-called “coalition of the willing,” comprising over 30 countries that aim to support Ukraine, potentially including the deployment of a reassurance force on the ground should a ceasefire be established.
The Elysée revealed that Macron had spoken with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy both prior to and following the meetings. Similar high-level discussions among representatives from France, Germany, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and the United States are scheduled for next week in London.