UK foreign secretary to join Trump envoys in Paris for high-level Ukraine peace talks

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is set to travel to Paris on April 17 to join high-level talks with Donald Trump’s peace envoys in an effort to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.

The meeting will include US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

The talks will mark the first significant engagement between the Anglo-French-led "coalition of the willing" and representatives from the Trump administration since UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron made separate visits to Washington in February. A No. 10 spokesperson confirmed that Prime Minister Starmer will not be attending the Paris discussions.

The coalition, spearheaded by London and Paris, consists of around 30 nations prepared to send troops to Ukraine to enforce and support any ceasefire agreement brokered by Trump. However, recent efforts have stalled as President Trump struggles to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a proposed ceasefire.

European leaders have increasingly called on Washington to apply greater pressure on Moscow to return to the negotiating table. Trump has previously warned that he would impose harsher sanctions on Russia’s energy exports if Putin refused to agree to a truce, but has yet to act on those threats.

The Paris meetings will also serve as an opportunity for Witkoff to brief European officials on his latest talks with Putin in St. Petersburg. A US State Department spokesperson confirmed that Rubio will participate in the meetings “with European counterparts to advance President Trump’s goal to end the Russia-Ukraine war and stop the bloodshed.” The spokesman added: “While in Paris, he will also discuss ways to advance shared interests in the region.”

Russia has sought to use its negotiations with Washington to seek sanctions relief, reportedly proposing a partial Black Sea truce in exchange for easing restrictions on a sanctioned bank involved in agricultural trade. Moscow has also requested the use of frozen US funds to purchase Boeing aircraft, according to Bloomberg.

Plans are also underway for a European-led force to be deployed in Ukraine for up to five years, aimed at stabilizing the country and supporting its military rebuilding efforts.

By Vafa Guliyeva