US Secretary of State and Trump's special representative will visit Paris, will talk about Ukraine - Politico
Kyiv • UNN
Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff will discuss Ukraine, Iran and trade relations with Macron. The visit will be the first visit of high-ranking American dignitaries to France since February.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy tasked with ending wars in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip, are expected to travel to Paris later this week, citing two people familiar with the trip's preparations, Politico reports, UNN writes.
Details
Witkoff is scheduled to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, and Rubio will speak with his French counterpart, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
According to a U.S. official, Rubio will be in Paris this week before heading to Africa.
An official familiar with the preparations for the trip said that "both sides will discuss Ukraine, Iran, and trade relations in connection with Trump's threats to impose tariffs."
Macron's meeting with Witkoff is expected to take place a few days after Trump's special representative met with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to discuss a possible ceasefire in Ukraine after Russian-American talks stalled in recent weeks, the publication notes. The meeting in Moscow was "another step in the negotiation process for a ceasefire," despite Trump's "frustration," according to the White House press secretary.
The French president has led European efforts to provide security guarantees to Ukraine, including the deployment of so-called assurance forces in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, the publication writes.
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The trip marks the first visit by high-ranking U.S. dignitaries to France since U.S. Vice President Jay Dee Vance attended the artificial intelligence summit in February.
Tariffs are expected to be one of the main items on the agenda. Last week, Macron said that Trump's decision to suspend his toughest tariffs for 90 days only creates a "fragile" pause in tensions.