During a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, the parties focused on how to move the situation toward real peace, in particular through the introduction of a full set of sanctions against Russia, as well as on the protection of Ukraine’s skies. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized this during a joint press conference with President of France Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
The conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump took place following today’s meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris. It was attended by Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron, President of Finland Alexander Stubb, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen, President of the Council of Ministers of Italy Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, Prime Minister of the Netherlands Dick Schoof, Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre, President of the European Council António Costa, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and Special Envoy of the President of the United States Steve Witkoff.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked President Trump for his support and noted that the discussion centered on how to move the situation toward real peace. In particular, the leaders discussed a full set of sanctions that could deprive Russia of the ability to finance the war.
“We discussed different options, and the most important thing is pressure – to force an end to the war through strong measures, including economic ones. The key to peace is depriving Russia’s war machine of money and resources,” the Head of State emphasized.
“If Russia continues to refuse concrete peace talks, as it has been stalling since March, then together with America we will move forward with additional sanctions and provide a clear response to this refusal by Russia. This was exactly the context in which it was raised in our conversation with President Trump,” Emmanuel Macron added.
The talks also touched upon maximum protection for Ukraine’s skies. The President of Ukraine stressed that until peace is achieved, Ukrainians must not be at the mercy of constant Russian attacks, and Russian missiles and drones must not take lives.
“We are considering a certain format. Yesterday, Emmanuel and I spoke in detail about it – it was the first time we discussed such a format. Today, we shared it with our partners, and afterward with President Trump. If we receive a positive signal from the United States, since technically much in this format of air defense depends on them – if we receive that positive signal, we will be glad to share this information,” the Head of State noted.
The leaders agreed to maintain further contacts.
