Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Paris on Monday to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, on the eve of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and a special envoy for Donald Trump, which is expected to discuss the US plan to end the war between Moscow and Kyiv. Trump expressed optimism after talks held on Sunday in Florida by US and Ukrainian officials regarding a peace plan developed by Washington to end the conflict that began in February 2022. This comes as Zelensky faces an internal corruption crisis that ousted the head of his presidential office and chief negotiator Andriy Yermak, while Russia continues its strikes, one of which killed four people on Monday, according to authorities. Macron received Zelensky at the Élysée Palace in the morning, marking Zelensky's tenth visit to Paris since the war began. The French presidency confirmed that Macron and Zelensky "will exchange views on the situation and the conditions for achieving a just and lasting peace, continuing the discussions that took place in Geneva and the American plan, in close consultation with our European partners." Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, will meet with Putin on Tuesday. The United States proposed a 28-point plan about 10 days ago, which was formulated without any input from Ukraine's European allies. Zelensky said today that he will meet with Ukraine's defense minister and foreign minister. The plan took into account numerous Russian demands, which stipulated the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Donetsk region (in the east) and Washington's de facto recognition of Russian control over Donetsk, Crimea, and Luhansk. Washington amended the original draft after criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but the current wording remains unclear. Zelensky's arrival in Paris coincided with the Kremlin's confirmation that Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy, will meet with Putin on Tuesday afternoon. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at his daily briefing: "The meeting with Witkoff is scheduled for tomorrow ... in the afternoon." Witkoff was part of the US delegation that held talks on Sunday alongside Senator Marco Rubio and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. In turn, Roustam Oumarov, head of the National Security Council, led the Ukrainian delegation. While both sides confirmed the talks were "fruitful," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged the need for more work, while a source in the Ukrainian delegation described the negotiations as "not easy." Trump saw a good opportunity for a deal. He said aboard the presidential plane: "Ukraine has some small, difficult problems," referring to a corruption investigation that forced Zelensky to fire his chief of staff and top negotiator Andriy Yermak. He added: "But I think there is a good chance of making a deal," noting that both sides want to end the war. In what may indicate the seriousness of the deliberations, the EU's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, said the coming week could be pivotal for efforts to end the deadliest conflict on the continent since World War II. Kallas said at a meeting of EU defense ministers on Monday: "This week could be a pivotal week for diplomacy. We heard yesterday that the talks in the US were difficult but fruitful."
