French President Emmanuel Macron will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Paris on December 1 to discuss recent peace initiatives and ongoing regional security concerns, according to a statement from the French president’s office.

“The two leaders will discuss the situation and the conditions for a just and lasting peace, following on from the Geneva talks and the US plan, and in close consultation with our European partners,” Macron’s office told France24 on Saturday.

The meeting will also address security guarantees being developed under the “Coalition of the Willing”, a framework through which European and NATO-aligned nations aim to coordinate long-term support for Kiev.

The framework and its origins

The United States has introduced a revised peace proposal for the conflict, originally consisting of 28 points. The plan was reportedly scaled down to 19 points after consultations between US, Ukrainian, and European officials during the Geneva talks on November 23.

The original 28-point framework was partly based on a document drafted by Moscow and submitted to the Trump administration in October, Reuters reported, citing three individuals familiar with the matter.

Sources say Russian officials provided the paper, which detailed Moscow’s terms for halting the conflict, to senior US figures in mid-October after a meeting between Trump and Zelensky in Washington. The draft, described as a diplomatic “non-paper", repeated long-standing Russian demands previously tabled in negotiations, including territorial concessions in eastern Ukraine that Kiev had firmly rejected.

Kiev on a tightrope 

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on November 21 that the new US peace plan could serve as a foundation for a future settlement. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov later emphasized that the responsibility now lies with Kiev to engage in negotiations.

Peskov also noted that the Ukrainian government’s room for maneuver is shrinking as a result of continued advances by Russian forces.

Putin said on Thursday that Russian forces have fully encircled the city of Krasnoarmeysk  (Pokrovsk) and now control 70% of its territory, marking what would be one of Moscow’s most significant advances in the Donetsk region.

Krasnoarmeysk, known in Ukraine as Pokrovsk, has been a key objective for Moscow since mid-2024, forming part of a broader campaign to take control of the entire Donbas industrial region. The city, once home to more than 60,000 residents and considered a major logistics hub for Ukrainian military operations, has faced increasing clashes as Russian forces shifted from limited infiltration to a wider encirclement strategy.

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