France Hosting Allies Talking On Ukraine After Deadly Attacks (Worthy News Radio)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
PARIS/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – France is hosting talks with allies to discuss a path to peace in Ukraine ahead of Easter. The talks come after overnight Russian attacks on several Ukrainian cities reportedly left three people dead and 28 injured. French President Emmanuel Macron has already met Ukrainian and U.S. representatives in Paris.
Despite tensions between the two nations, there were smiles and handshakes as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met President Macron at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
Yet behind closed doors, tough negotiations were expected on the path to peace for war-torn Ukraine.
European and Ukrainian officials were expected to appeal to the United States to help protect Ukraine after the failure so far of American President Donald J. Trump’s to arrange a ceasefire in the three-year-old Russia-Ukraine war.
The high-level diplomacy reflects Europe’s and Kyiv’s mounting concern over the perceived U.S. administration’s cozy overtures towards Moscow, analysts say.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said after separate talks with French, British, and German partners in Paris that they discussed “a fair and lasting peace” in Ukraine, including a full ceasefire as well as a multinational military contingent, “and security guarantees for Ukraine.”
MISSILE STRIKES
Yet peace seems far away, even as Easter approaches, after Kyiv said several people were killed and dozens injured in Russian attacks on the Ukrainian cities of Dnipro, Odesa, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Donetsk.
It followed earlier Russian missile strikes that killed dozens of civilians, including children, in recent weeks.
Ahead of Thursday’s gathering between France and its allies in Paris, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged partners to, in his words, “put pressure on the killers,” referring to Russia.
More than a million people are believed to have been killed and injured since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
With many preparing for Easter celebrations in churches of his devastated land, Ukrainian President Zekenskyy appealed for an “end this war and guarantee a reliable peace.”
If you are interested in articles produced by Worthy News, please check out our FREE sydication service available to churches or online Christian ministries. To find out more, visit Worthy Plugins.