ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Paris on Monday for a day of high-level talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, marking his 10th visit to France since the start of the Moscow-Kyiv war in 2022.

Zelenskyy was welcomed at the Elysee Palace in the morning, where the two leaders are expected to address the press before holding bilateral discussions.

According to the French Presidency, Macron and Zelenskyy will discuss “the situation and the conditions for a just and lasting peace,” building on the latest discussions in Geneva and on the US proposal currently under negotiation.

They will also assess ongoing work on security guarantees as part of the Coalition of the Willing.

The trip follows the opening of negotiations in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on Washington’s conflict-resolution framework, a plan Kyiv considers overly favorable to Moscow.

Zelenskyy said the current talks rely on amendments made last week in Geneva between US, Ukrainian, and European representatives.

The negotiations are taking place without Andriy Yermak, Zelenskyy’s former chief of staff, who was dismissed on Friday amid a major corruption scandal.

Despite these challenges, Paris reaffirmed its backing for Kyiv.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told La Tribune Dimanche that Zelenskyy “has full legitimacy to lead Ukraine towards peace,” and insisted that corruption allegations “must be handled by the competent institutions, without interfering with the peace process.”

Following the initial working session, Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska will join the French president and his spouse Brigitte Macron for lunch.