Zelensky Urges More Pressure on Russia Ahead of Paris Peace Talks with Trump Envoys
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for increased pressure on Russian forces ahead of high-stakes peace talks in Paris involving envoys from Donald Trump’s team.
Following another deadly night of Russian attacks, including a drone strike on the city of Dnipro that killed three people and injured more than 30, Zelensky issued a strong statement on Thursday morning:
“Russia uses every day and every night to kill,” he said. “Pressure must be applied to the killers, and life must be helped to stop this war and ensure a reliable peace.”
In Paris, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff have arrived to begin discussions aimed at ending the war. They are expected to work toward finding common ground with European leaders, despite the European Union having been largely sidelined in recent U.S. diplomatic efforts.
This marks the first senior-level dialogue between the so-called Anglo-French Coalition of the Willing and Trump’s White House leadership since February. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is not expected to attend the talks.
The negotiations are being hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, with Germany also represented. Jens Plötner, advisor on foreign and security policy, and Günter Sautter, political director at the foreign office, are taking part, according to German newspaper FAZ. However, Berlin’s ability to commit to new initiatives may be constrained, as the country transitions from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s government to Friedrich Merz’s incoming coalition, expected in early May.
A U.S. official speaking to the Kyiv Post emphasized the strategic challenge ahead:
“The main question is how to bridge the gap between strategy and execution and achieve our peace goals, and, of course, what to do with the Coalition of the Willing.”
Despite the diplomatic flurry, French officials remain skeptical about the chances of a breakthrough. The Macron government reportedly believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin has little genuine interest in ending the war at this stage.
The talks are expected to be held behind closed doors, with no press conference planned, adding to the secrecy surrounding this potentially pivotal moment in the conflict.
Meanwhile, military analysts continue to express concern over possible Russian influence on Donald Trump’s evolving posture toward the conflict, a topic that has stirred debate among Western officials and experts.
You speak of Ukraine as if it was a sovereign nation forever. First it was part of Tzarist Russia for about 1000 years. Post WWII, it was sliced and diced and given to the Soviet Union. Only after the fall of the USSR in 1989 did Ukraine become a sovereign nation in 1991, less than a generation ago. So yes, Urkraine is very much like Berlin. Berlin was not split because of the Nazis, it was split because Russia made it to Berlin first. They agreed to split it into east and west. Berlin was reunited after the fall of the USSR just like the Ukraine was. So yes, the comparison by Kellog is correct. Correcting misconceptions does not mean I have any support for Russia in this matter. At age 76, Russia has been the boil on the world’s ass all my life.
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