U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Paris to engage in discussions regarding the war in Ukraine and other significant issues with French officials, as reported by Politico.

The US and France explore pathways to peace in Ukraine

Rubio is expected to meet with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, while Witkoff, a former real estate investor without diplomatic experience, will converse with President Emmanuel Macron.

The talks will focus on possible ways to end Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as other topics such as Iran and U.S. import tariffs.

Macron, who leads European efforts to provide security guarantees for Ukraine post-conflict, is a key figure in the discussions.

Macron's conversation with Witkoff came just days after the envoy met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a potential ceasefire, following a stalemate in Russian-American negotiations in recent weeks.

According to the White House press secretary, the meeting in Moscow was termed as “another step in the ceasefire negotiation process,” despite Trump’s “frustration.”

Following this meeting, one of the deadliest Russian attacks on Ukraine occurred. On Palm Sunday, April 13, Russia launched a missile strike on Sumy, resulting in at least 35 fatalities and 119 injuries.

Ironically, while discussing his meeting with Putin in a television interview with Fox News, Witkoff stated that the discussions provided potential for “reformatting” Russian-American relations and that Vladimir Putin is open to a deal for “lasting peace” with Ukraine.