April 17 (UPI) — Officials from Ukraine will meet with American representatives in Paris Thursday to discuss the war with Russia less than a day after the latest Russian attack on Ukraine.
Ukraine’s presidential Chief of Staff Andriy Yermak said in a social media post they “are working in Paris,” with Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha and Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov.
Delegates from Britian, France and Germany are already present, and President Donald Trump‘s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to join the conference later in the day.
“We exchanged views on the next steps toward achieving a just and lasting peace,” Yermak said of the talks that have already occurred, which include “the implementation of a full cease-fire, the involvement of a multinational military contingent, and the development of an effective security architecture for Ukraine.”
There have been some concerns about how the United States will seek peace, as Chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada parliament of Ukraine Oleksandr Merezhko said Wednesday on X that Witkoff “may be inadvertently trying to push pro-Russian narratives.”
The cease-fire conversation continues as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday morning that a Russian drone struck the city of Dnipro, with claims that “They targeted ordinary residential buildings, ordinary civilian infrastructure.”
Zelensky says 28 people were injured, with four children among those who were hurt. Three people were reportedly killed in the incident, including a 17-year-old girl.
Zelensky also says Odessa was struck by drones Wednesday night. That attack left three injured, and residential buildings were damaged.
“The Sumy region came under aerial bomb attacks, while Kharkiv and Donetsk regions were hit by Russian ballistic missiles,” Zelensky said.
He continued that every defense package they receive is “is literally the protection of lives.”
Zelensky concluded with “Russia uses every day and every night to kill. Pressure must be applied to the killers, and life must be helped to stop this war and ensure a reliable peace.”