PARIS, FRANCE (APRIL 17, 2025) (ANADOLU – ACCESS ALL) SHOTLIST: 1. SOUNDBITE (French) MINISTER FOR EUROPE AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF FRANCE JEAN-NOEL BARROT SPEAKING TO REPORTERS, SAYING: “Good evening everyone. Today, we had a positive and very constructive discussion here in Paris, at the invitation of the President of the Republic, and in the wake of what had taken place during the reopening of our platform, to allow both sets of talks to move forward. The new development, if I may say so, is that today in Paris, the United States, Ukraine, and the Europeans came together around a meaningful table to jointly discuss the next steps in the efforts we’ve all been undertaking, past and present, to achieve a ceasefire in Ukraine — one that would pave the way for discussions toward a just and lasting peace. These very open and candid conversations helped move our collective thinking forward, including that of our American partners. They have agreed to meet again next week in London to continue these exchanges on the same basis, so that we can hope, in the very near future, to reach a full, unconditional ceasefire — one to which the Ukrainians have already agreed, and to which we hope Russia will, in turn, agree. In the meantime, we continue to support Ukraine because, as everyone knows, this concerns the security of Europeans, the future stability of Europe, and energy — a fundamental issue for our future and that of our citizens. More specifically, we held discussions with the President of the Republic over lunch, followed by broader-format exchanges throughout the afternoon. A summary of these discussions was presented to the President at the end of the day. And earlier, I had the pleasure of welcoming the U.S. Secretary of State, along with our colleague David Lammy, with whom we will continue to exchange views in the coming days in preparation for the next meeting. For a long time, there were fears that the Europeans would not be first in line. My friends, thank you very much.”PARIS, FRANCE - APRIL 17: French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot gave remarks in Paris on Thursday, April 17, following talks with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other international officials on efforts to secure a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Barrot described the discussions as constructive and noted that the US, Ukraine, and European partners had made joint progress toward a full, unconditional ceasefire. He also confirmed that follow-up meetings are planned for next week in London to continue coordination on diplomatic efforts. The talks, held at the invitation of the French President Emmanuel Macron, aimed to align strategies for a just and lasting peace while reaffirming ongoing support for Ukraine. Writing by Aleyna Cil