European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that European leaders and Volodymyr Zelensky have made progress in discussing a plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine.
„Today /b. last night/ I had a good conversation with Volodymyr Zelensky, who met with Macron and other European leaders. "We have made good progress and plan to present our proposals this week," Ursula von der Leyen wrote in X.
In a phone call with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful on December 1, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Washington is committed to a rapid resolution of the conflict in Ukraine and ensuring lasting peace, according to a written statement by Tommy Pigott, deputy spokesman for the US State Department.
He noted that Rubio and Wadeful "discussed ongoing efforts to end the war in Ukraine." Rubio "reaffirmed that the US goal is a rapid end to the conflict and lasting peace."
On November 30, consultations were held in Florida between US and Ukrainian representatives. The discussion focused on ways to end the conflict, long-term solutions to economic and security issues, the prospects for holding elections in Ukraine and the territorial issue.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has planned to meet with US President's special envoy Stephen Witkoff on December 2. A key topic will be the resolution of the Ukrainian crisis, including US proposals on this issue.
Ukraine is not in a position to influence the ongoing settlement process, and Kiev's previous attempts have not yielded results. This opinion was expressed by Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev to “Izvestia“.
“Under no circumstances can Ukraine stop this process. "It tried to do it before, and the result was absolutely negative in every respect," he said.
Kosachev noted that Europe should also not seek to interfere in the process. "God forbid that Europe ever again develops ambitions to stop this process," the senator stressed. He also said that Europe does not understand the concept of a collective security solution, and its insistence that any action in this area be carried out "only in a European way" will lead to a dead end.
The senator characterized Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to France as an attempt to involve Paris in a negotiation process in which the country, like the rest of Europe, is not participating.
On December 1, Zelensky arrived at the Elysee Palace for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. This was his second visit to France in two weeks and the tenth since the beginning of the Ukrainian conflict. According to the Elysee Palace, during the meeting, Macron and Zelensky planned to discuss the situation surrounding the peace talks, taking into account the meetings in Geneva and Florida, as well as the provision of security guarantees within the framework of a “coalition of the willing“.