Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Steve Witkoff of “spreading Russian narratives” about the war as senior officials from Ukraine, the US and Europe meet in Paris.
Mr Witkoff, a special envoy to Donald Trump, is among the US officials meeting with Ukrainian and European officials in Paris today.
In a sign that ongoing talks in Paris may not be going well, Mr Zelensky said: “I believe that Mr Witkoff has taken on the strategy of the Russian side. I think it is very dangerous, because he is consciously or unconsciously, I don’t know, spreading Russian narratives.”
Mr Zelensky has accused Mr Witkoff of echoing Russian propaganda in the past. On Tuesday he rejected Mr Witkoff’s claim that peace depended on the five Ukrainian territories currently occupied by Russia.
Today he said Ukraine would not be ready to discuss territorial concessions until a full-scale ceasefire is put in place.
Ukraine wants to buy at least 10 Patriot air defence systems from the United States to shield against Russian attacks, Ukrainian Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists this afternoon.
“Ukraine is ready to purchase at least 10 systems. I told President Trump about this minimum during our phone conversation. He told me that America would work on it. So far, I have no other information,” the Ukrainian president said.
Ukraine has intelligence which shows China is supplying artillery and gunpowder to Russia, Volodymyr Zelensky said this afternoon.
“We believe that Chinese representatives are engaged in the production of some weapons on the territory of Russia,” he said at a press conference in Kyiv.
He did not specify whether he meant artillery systems or shells.
Pete Hegseth urged France to increase its defence spending and, alongside other Nato allies, take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defence during talks in Washington.
Sean Parnell, the chief Pentagon spokesperson, said Mr Hegseth and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu also discussed efforts toward a “durable peace” in Ukraine.
Senior officials from the US, Europe and Ukraine are currently in talks in Paris over ending the war.
Leading the US delegation is Marco Rubio, the secretary of state, and Steve Witkoff, a special envoy for Donald Trump.
Earlier, Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s top adviser, said talks had included how to reach a “just and lasting peace” in Ukraine.
Jonathan Powell, national security adviser to Sir Keir Starmer, is also present in Paris.
Vladimir Putin’s meeting with Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was extremely productive but various countries are trying to disrupt dialogue between Moscow and Washington, the Russian leader’s investment envoy has said.
Putin received Witkoff in the former imperial capital of St. Petersburg Friday and they spoke for close to five hours. Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, and investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev were also in the room.
“The meeting was extremely productive,” Mr Dmitriev told reporters in the Kremlin during a visit by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to Moscow.
“A lot of people, structures, and countries are trying to disrupt our dialogue with the United States,” he added, adding that various unidentified media were spreading misinformation.
“There is a very useful dialogue going on. It is certainly going on in very difficult conditions – constant attacks and constant misinformation.”
President Donald Trump views Giorgia Meloni, the Italian Prime Minister, as a key intermediary on major issues, including efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
A senior US official noted that the two leaders share “a very special relationship” and intend to collaborate, particularly on trade, Nato contributions, and other matters, a senior US official said today ahead of their meeting.
The US president is due to greet Ms Meloni at 12pm ET.
The pair are scheduled to participate in a bilateral lunch followed by a meeting in the Oval Office, where they may speak to the White House Press Pool.
Photographs have emerged of the aftermath of attacks in Dnipro, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, overnight.
Three people, including a child, were killed in the attack. Houses, student dormitories, buildings of an educational institution and a food enterprise, as well as cars, were damaged.
Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, said today that the use of Taurus missiles to strike critical Russian infrastructure would be considered direct participation by Germany in the Ukrainian conflict.
Friedrich Merz, the incoming German chancellor, has said he supports supplying Ukraine with the German-made cruise missiles.
A Taurus “strike against any Russian facility of critical transport infrastructure….all of this would be regarded as direct participation of Germany in hostilities,” Ms Zakharova told journalists.
Britain has previously said it will support Germany if it decides to send the missiles.
Emmanuel Macron spoke to Volodymyr Zelensky on the phone before talks with Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State, and Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s special envoy, at the Élysée in Paris.
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