Mon Dec 01 16:08:48 UTC 2025: News Article:
Zelenskyy Seeks European Support as US Pushes for Ukraine-Russia Deal
Paris, France – December 1, 2025 – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris today, seeking to bolster European support for Ukraine amidst a renewed U.S. push for a peace deal with Russia. The meeting comes at a critical juncture, as the Russian army has made its biggest territorial gains in a year, and a corruption scandal has shaken Zelenskyy’s government.
U.S. President Donald Trump is championing a plan to end the war, but European nations fear it could force Ukraine to concede too much territory to Russia. U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, following talks in Florida with Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov. While both sides have called the talks “productive,” significant issues remain unresolved.
“We share the view that the war must be brought to a fair end,” Zelenskyy wrote on X after the talks, which also included phone conversations with other European leaders.
The U.S. plan, initially drafted without European input, reportedly called for Ukraine to withdraw from territory in the Donetsk region and de facto recognition of Russian control over Donetsk, Crimea, and Lugansk. After criticism, the plan has been updated, but details remain unclear.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas expressed concern over the Putin-Witkoff meeting, fearing it would pressure Ukraine to make concessions. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized there should be no “dictated peace” for Ukraine.
The diplomatic efforts come as the war continues to take a heavy toll. A Russian missile attack in Dnipro killed four people and wounded nearly two dozen others today. According to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War, Russia captured 701 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in November.
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