ISTANBUL

The leaders of the UK and France are set to visit Washington next week for high-level talks on the Russia-Ukraine war as the US administration pushes for a diplomatic resolution.

French President Emmanuel Macron is scheduled to visit Washington next week for high-level discussions with his US counterpart Donald Trump amid growing tensions over the negotiations on the Ukraine war, France's Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad confirmed on Thursday.

Macron's visit comes as the Trump administration engages in direct negotiations with Russia, a move that has raised concerns among European allies.

"He will come to represent the voice of Europeans and assert that Ukraine’s future cannot be decided without them," Haddad told the French broadcaster LCI.

Trump had hinted at the visit on Wednesday, telling reporters that Macron would arrive "very soon, maybe Monday."

The upcoming meeting follows a previous encounter between Macron and Trump in December at the Elysee Palace, where they held a trilateral discussion with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The war in Ukraine is expected to be a key focus of talks in Washington, especially as the US has initiated direct diplomatic engagement with Moscow.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Saudi Arabia, where they reportedly agreed to hold further negotiations on Ukraine without the participation of Kyiv or European nations.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also scheduled to visit the White House next week, according to US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, who confirmed the trip during an interview with Fox News.

The meetings, organized by the Trump administration, are aimed at brokering a resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, tensions between Washington and Kyiv continue to mount as Trump on Wednesday referred to Zelenskyy as a "dictator without an election."