The Japan Times - Zelensky meets Macron to shore up support for Ukraine as Trump optimistic

US and Ukrainian negotiators held hours of what both sides called "productive" talks in Florida on Sunday on a plan Washington wants to form the basis of a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.

The diplomatic flurry after nearly four years of conflict comes as Kyiv battles military pressure and reels from a domestic corruption scandal that forced Zelensky to remove his close aide and top negotiator.

The Ukrainian leader has been a regular visitor to Paris since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 -- this latest visit due to get under way at 10:00 am (0900 GMT).

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in comments to the La Tribune Dimanche newspaper on Sunday that the meeting aimed "to move the negotiations forward".

"Peace is within reach, if (Russian President) Vladimir Putin abandons his delusional hope of reconstituting the Soviet empire by first subjugating Ukraine," he added.

Washington put forward an initial 28-point proposal to halt the war, drafted without input from Ukraine's European allies and regarded as too close a reflection of Moscow's maximalist demands on Ukrainian territory.

It would have seen Kyiv withdraw from its eastern Donetsk region and the United States de facto recognise the Donetsk, Crimea and Lugansk regions as Russian.

After talks in Geneva just over a week ago, the United States updated the original blueprint following criticism from Kyiv and Europe, but the current contents remain unclear.

- 'Ukraine's sovereignty' -

Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff is due in Moscow for follow-up talks and is expected to discuss Ukraine with Putin on Tuesday.

The Florida talks were described by both Ukrainian and American negotiators as "productive" but US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said more work was required and a source in Kyiv's delegation called the talks "not easy".

Trump was optimistic, however, telling reporters aboard Air Force One: "I think that there's a good chance we can make a deal."

He also referred to political turbulence in Kyiv which saw Zelensky last week remove Andriy Yermak, his chief of staff and top negotiator throughout the conflict, after a corruption scandal in the energy sector that has troubled Western allies.

"Ukraine's got some difficult little problems," Trump said.

Ukraine's security council secretary Rustem Umerov instead led Kyiv's delegation at the Florida talks.

He wrote on Facebook that he had briefed Zelensky on the "substantial progress" made.

"It is important that the talks have a constructive dynamic and that all issues were discussed openly and with a clear focus on ensuring Ukraine's sovereignty and national interests," Zelensky wrote on X after the talks.

Rubio told reporters the Florida talks were "very productive" but "there's more work to be done".

"There are a lot of moving parts, and obviously there's another party involved here that will have to be a part of the equation, and that will continue later this week when Mr Witkoff travels to Moscow," he said.

- 'Important days' -

Ahead of his meeting with Macron, Zelensky said on social media he had briefed Finland's President Alexander Stubb -- seen as an influential player due to his warm relationship with Trump -- on "the signals we have received from the American side".

He also spoke separately to EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and NATO chief Mark Rutte, saying "these are important days, and much can change".

The diplomatic push comes as the war -- which has killed tens of thousands of civilians and military personnel and displaced millions of Ukrainians -- shows no sign of easing.

Russia's forces targeted Ukraine's capital and the region with deadly air strikes two nights in a row over the weekend.

A Ukrainian security source, meanwhile, said Kyiv was responsible for attacks on two oil tankers in the Black Sea that it believed were covertly transporting sanctioned Russian oil.

One of Russia's largest oil terminals halted operations on Saturday following a drone attack.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC), a group that includes US oil majors Chevron and ExxonMobil and which owns the terminal, called the strike a "terrorist attack".

Ukraine, which did not comment on the incident, regularly targets Russian energy facilities in a bid to sap the country's war chest.

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K.Yamaguchi--JT