French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and other European leaders on Monday rejected any Ukraine peace deal negotiated "without Ukrainians and Europeans."

Macron said that any "peace plan" concerning the Russia-Ukraine conflict could only be finalized with both Ukraine and Europe involved in negotiations.

The French president made the remarks at a joint press conference at the Elysee Palace after meeting with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On issues including frozen Russian assets, security guarantees and Ukraine's potential accession to the European Union, Macron said agreements "can only be finalized with the Europeans around the table."

The French president also stressed that "there is no finalized peace plan as such today."

Zelenskyy reiterated Ukraine's goal of ending the conflict "in a dignified manner," calling for "solid" security guarantees, and noted that the "territorial issue will be the most difficult" in future talks.

According to the Elysee Palace, Macron and Zelenskyy also held discussions with European leaders as well as U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators on Monday.

In Berlin, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz echoed the stance, declaring that Germany opposes any "dictated peace" decided without Ukraine's involvement.

"No decision about Ukraine and Europe without Ukrainians and without Europeans," Merz told a press conference following his meeting with visiting Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Tusk voiced support for Ukraine, noting efforts by Poland and Germany to jointly strengthen the security of Europe.

Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics also stressed that Europe must be included at the negotiating table, commenting on a possible peace agreement in Ukraine.

Foreign policy makers in Latvia and the Nordic-Baltic region, as well as leaders of the EU and most NATO member states, agree that three principles should be respected, namely the territorial indivisibility of Ukraine, sovereignty and security interests, Rinkevics told Latvian Radio programme Krustpunkta.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with U.S. presidential special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss ending the conflict with Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.

A U.S.-proposed 28-point "peace plan" was unveiled two weeks ago. Following its release, representatives from the United States, Ukraine and several European countries met in Geneva on November 23 to discuss the plan.

The intensified negotiations have arrived at a difficult juncture for Kyiv, which has been losing ground at the eastern front.

Putin was briefed on Sunday evening that the Russian forces had taken control of Krasnoarmeysk in the Donetsk region and Volchansk in the Kharkov region, the Kremlin said in a statement on Monday.

(With input from agencies)