Volodymyr Zelenskiy heads to Paris amid political crisis and intensifying peace push

Paris talks amid Ukraine turmoil

Emmanuel Macron will host Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Paris on Monday for talks on "the conditions of a just and durable peace", as diplomatic efforts intensify to shape a U.S.-backed roadmap to end the war in Ukraine, the Elysee Palace said.

The meeting comes after European and Ukrainian diplomats sought changes to the American peace proposal during talks with U.S. officials in Geneva last week. Although the revised plan has not been made public, U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week that there had been "tremendous progress" in efforts to resolve key sticking points.

Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, is due to travel to Russia next week for talks with President Vladimir Putin, underlining Washington’s parallel outreach to Moscow.

The Paris visit comes at a fragile moment for Zelenskiy, who is facing mounting political and military pressure at home. Ukraine is grappling with frontline strain, persistent power outages from sustained strikes on its energy grid, and a corruption investigation that last week triggered the resignation of his powerful chief of staff and chief peace negotiator, Andriy Yermak.

Despite the turmoil, Kyiv’s Western allies have rallied around Zelenskiy in recent days, stepping up political backing as pressure grows for Ukraine to sign on to a U.S.-led peace framework initially viewed warily in both Europe and Kyiv.

Zelenskiy last visited Paris on November 17.