PARIS, April 18. /TASS/. The talks between representatives of the United States, Europe and Ukraine in Paris allowed the allies to coordinate positions on the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, Minister Delegate for European Affairs at the French Foreign Ministry Benjamin Haddad said.
"The goal [of the talks] is to continue to converge and align our interests to ensure that we can bring peace in Europe back. This is the goal that all of us, namely Ukraine, the US and Europe, are striving for," Haddad said on Franceinfo radio.
The minister delegate noted that the Paris meeting was the first to bring the allies to the same negotiating table following a series of separate encounters. He said this made it possible to "converge and align" their positions on security guarantees for Kiev. Haddad argued that the EU has "many tools to support Ukraine and put pressure on Russia" in order to achieve not a temporary truce, but a long-term peace.
On April 17, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US Presidential Special Envoy Steven Witkoff in Paris. According to the Elysee Palace, the "constructive talks" helped to "converge positions" on resolving the Ukraine conflict. During their visit, Rubio and Witkoff also held talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, British Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell, German Chancellor’s Foreign Policy Adviser Jens Plotner, and the head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office, Andrey Yermak.
Another meeting of representatives from the five countries is scheduled for the coming week in London, AFP reported.