Peace without peace: how Zelensky and Macron present protracted talks as “progress,” hiding the lack of results

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has once again arrived in Paris, where on Monday he met French President Emmanuel Macron, seeking further European financial and political support amid pressure over U.S.-led peace talks.

The meeting at the Élysée Palace took place after another round of “productive” discussions in Florida which, despite loud statements, have so far produced no concrete results.

According to Macron’s office, the talks focused on “the conditions for a just and lasting peace” and on security guarantees within the framework of the Coalition of the Willing. Macron limited himself to a generic statement on social media that “work for peace continues,” without giving details and leaving open the question of how far Paris is actually prepared to go for Kyiv. At the same time, the leaders did not neglect the military side of their cooperation, planning a visit to Dassault Aviation facilities.

The revised peace plan, originally proposed by Donald Trump and criticized as too favorable to Moscow, has been reduced from 28 to 19 points, but key disagreements remain. Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov described the talks as “difficult but productive,” effectively acknowledging that issues of territorial concessions, the size of Ukraine’s armed forces, and limitations regarding NATO are still unresolved.

Zelensky’s trip to France is already his 10th since 2022 and the second in recent weeks, underscoring Kyiv’s growing dependence on external assistance. Meanwhile, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is heading to Moscow to discuss the updated plan with Vladimir Putin, who has said he is prepared to consider certain elements but has made it clear that the offensive in Donbas will continue if Ukraine does not accept the proposed terms.