U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are set to travel to Paris later this week for crucial discussions with French officials.
Witkoff, tasked with resolving conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, will meet with French President Emmanuel Macron, while Rubio is scheduled to speak with Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.
According to sources familiar with the trip, Rubio will stay in Paris before heading to Africa. The two sides are expected to address pressing issues, including the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, Iran, and the future of trade relations, particularly in light of President Donald Trump’s recent tariff threats.
The meetings come on the heels of Witkoff’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, where the special envoy discussed potential steps toward a ceasefire in Ukraine. Despite stalled Russia-U.S. negotiations, the White House characterized the Moscow meeting as “another step in the negotiating process towards a ceasefire,” even amid Trump’s ongoing frustration with the talks.
Macron, who has been leading European efforts to secure security guarantees for Ukraine, is also focused on the potential deployment of a “reassurance force” to the country in the event of a truce.
This marks the first high-level U.S. visit to France since Vice President JD Vance attended a summit on artificial intelligence in February. One key issue that will dominate discussions is the trade tariffs, which remain a point of contention. Macron recently described Trump’s decision to temporarily suspend the most severe tariffs as a “fragile” pause in the broader trade tensions between the two nations.
