Alperen Aktas
17 April 2025•Update: 17 April 2025
ISTANBUL
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday that a Ukrainian delegation will meet US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Paris, alongside representatives from France, the UK and Germany, as part of a new push for security guarantees and diplomatic coordination.
Zelenskyy said the talks involve top-level officials, including Ukraine’s foreign and defense ministers and head of the presidential office, in meetings with French counterparts.
“There will be a joint meeting, including the representative of the US, Mr. Witkoff,” he told reporters, cited by Interfax-Ukraine.
He added that he and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on views regarding the diplomatic and military situation.
“We have the same understanding. We see things similarly, including the diplomatic actions,” Zelenskyy noted.
Memorandum of Understanding may be signed online
Zelenskyy said a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the US, outlining economic partnership intentions and investment plans for Ukraine’s reconstruction, could be signed online as early as Thursday.
“A couple of days ago, the American side proposed to go back to one more step while lawyers are working on the agreement - this is a memorandum of intent, our intentions are positive, constructive, we show it,” he said. "Therefore, the memorandum of intent, that is, not the agreement itself, but the memorandum of intent can be signed online today."
Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko is currently finalizing the draft, he added.
She said earlier that both sides have made “substantial progress” and confirmed that the deal would be ratified by Ukraine’s parliament.
Svyrydenko described the agreement as “a positive new step with the United States regarding the agreement on economic partnership and the creation of an investment fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine," on Facebook.
Ceasefire violations
Zelenskyy criticized Russia for continuing missile and drone attacks despite a US-brokered energy ceasefire.
“Russia has not reduced the number of strikes. They use the same number of drones and ballistic missiles every day,” he said, adding that the civilian infrastructure is now being targeted instead of energy facilities.
He rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine was attacking its energy sector. “We’ve seen the document (Russian Foreign Minister Sergey) Lavrov sent to the US. They say we hit their energy sector – this is simply not true. They are making things up.”
Kyiv to introduce new sanctions
Zelenskyy further announced two new sanctions packages would be introduced Friday against Kremlin propagandists and producers of Iskander missiles.
He rebuked US President Donald Trump’s reaction to a deadly Russian missile strike in the northeastern city of Sumy, which Trump described as “a mistake.”
“This was not a mistake. This was a targeted killing in the city center. You cannot justify it by calling it a mistake when rockets hit the middle of a town,” he said.
