French President Macron and UK PM Starmer Head to Washington for Ukraine Peace Talks

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are set to visit Washington next week as part of ongoing discussions aimed at bringing an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, reported by Reuters on February 19.

On February 17, French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency meeting with representatives from Britain, Germany, Italy, NATO, and the European Commission.

France hosted a second meeting on February 19 to discuss Ukraine and European security, expanding participation to include more European countries and NATO ally Canada, Reuters reported.

Invited countries include Norway, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Finland, Romania, Sweden, and Belgium.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Russia holds the upper hand in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, citing territorial gains. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later criticized Trump for repeating Russian disinformation about the war.