Witkoff calls Macron an "incredible person" and says talks will continue
The US side continues talks with Ukraine on security guarantees and economic development.
As reported by Censor.NET, this is stated in a statement by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, Sky News is quoted as saying.
This evening, Witkoff, together with Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, will meet again with the Ukrainian delegation. According to him, Washington and Kyiv have "almost finished with the security protocols" and are close to a "prosperity agreement for Ukraine".
The importance of the talks in Paris
At a press conference following the "Coalition of the Willing" summit in Paris, Witkoff thanked Emmanuel Macron, calling him an "incredible person" and an ally in the peace process.
Jared Kushner noted that meetings at Mar-a-Lago in December helped resolve most outstanding issues on security guarantees. He said the current talks in Paris have become an important milestone.
"If Ukraine is going to conclude a final agreement, it must know that after that it will be safe and will have a reliable deterrence mechanism so that this does not happen again," Kushner stressed.
Next steps and expectations
Witkoff stressed that the US and the Ukrainian delegation seek to act as mediators and help with the peace process. He said the US side is ready to do everything necessary to conclude the talks and achieve a stable peace.
For this reason, the meetings will continue in the near future, and US and Ukrainian diplomats expect further progress.
Meeting in Paris: what is known?
As Witkoff said on social media platform X, during the meeting the sides reached agreement on several key areas:
- a framework for bilateral security guarantees for Ukraine;
- an economic recovery and prosperity plan;
- an approach to long-term and reliable security guarantees.
The US stressed that durable security guarantees and serious economic commitments are necessary for lasting peace in Ukraine.
Talks with the Ukrainian delegation will continue — today and tomorrow. The US side expects further positive progress in the near future, Witkoff added.
Declaration signed
On Tuesday, January 6, a declaration of intent was signed in Paris on the future deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine. The document was endorsed by Ukrainian, French and British leaders Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that documents on security guarantees for Ukraine will be signed in the near future.
- The Guardian, which obtained a draft of the document signed following the "Coalition of the Willing", is quoted as saying the text states that multinational forces will ensure the "revival of the Ukrainian armed forces" and provide "reassurance measures in the air, at sea and on land" for Ukraine.
