French President Emmanuel Macron has cautioned Donald Trump against a “surrender” concerning Ukraine, as the US president stated that Russian leader Vladimir Putin “wants to make a deal” which might involve European peacekeepers.
Tensions between the transatlantic allies regarding the war were evident on Monday when Trump and Macron, the first European leader to visit the White House since Trump resumed office, expressed differing views on assistance and the quest for a stable peace in Ukraine.
Their meeting was friendly, sometimes even warm, but transpired just hours after the US voted against a United Nations resolution initiated by Ukraine and the European Union that condemned Russia for its invasion.
In the Oval Office, Trump labeled Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and erroneously accused Ukraine of instigating the war. He conveyed to reporters that Putin would be amenable to the idea of European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a prospective resolution to the three-year conflict.
Trump expressed that he found no issues with such an approach, mentioning that he had discussed it directly with Putin. “Yes, he will accept it,” the US president remarked. “I’ve posed that question to him.”
“Listen, if this deal is made, he’s not looking for more war. He’s okay with it. But I’ve specifically asked him that question, and he has no issue with it,” he elaborated.
During a later joint press conference in the east room, Trump highlighted his team’s constructive dialogue with Russia. “Before I arrived here, there was no communication with Russia at all, and they were ignoring calls. No one was speaking to them, and that was just accepted,” he noted.
“However, upon my arrival, one of my first calls was to President Putin, and we were met with high respect and mutual interest in ending this war, which is significant,” he continued.
Trump added: “I genuinely think he wants to strike a deal. I could be mistaken, but I believe he wants to reach an agreement.”
He also claimed to have made more advancements in the past month than in the previous three years combined. “I trust Emmanuel shares my views on many of the critical issues. Europe needs to play a central role in ensuring Ukraine’s long-term security,” he stated.
Macron acknowledged that he and Trump had “made very substantive steps forward” in their dialogue. Yet, he unambiguously labeled Russia as the “aggressor” in Ukraine and took a noticeably more cautious stance.
He told reporters: “This peace must not entail a surrender of Ukraine. It should not signify a ceasefire without guarantees. This peace must respect Ukrainian sovereignty and enable Ukraine to negotiate with other stakeholders.”
The French president emphasized: “I believe it is crucial to pursue a peace agreement. But my strong point was to advocate for achieving something first that can be assessed, verified, and confirmed … We desire peace swiftly, but we do not seek a fragile agreement.”
Earlier, the two leaders clashed directly when Trump inaccurately stated regarding war funding, “To clarify, Europe is lending money to Ukraine. They are getting reimbursed.”
Macron reached out to Trump’s arm and interjected: “No, to be candid, we actually paid. We covered 60% of the total effort. It’s similar to the US: loans, guarantees, and grants.”
Trump shot back: “If you think that’s correct, I’m fine with that. They reclaim their funds, and we don’t. But now we do.”
Trump and his team have been negotiating a minerals revenue-sharing deal with Ukraine to recoup some of the funds sent by the previous administration to assist Kyiv in repelling Russia.
He described the minerals agreement as “very close” and mentioned that he might arrange a meeting with Zelenskyy soon to finalize the deal. “He might come in this week or next week to sign the agreement, which would be nice,” Trump added, indicating he would also meet with Putin at some point.
Last week, Zelenskyy rejected US demands for $500 billion in mineral wealth from Ukraine to reimburse Washington for wartime aid, arguing that the US had not provided nearly that amount so far and offered no specific security assurances in the deal.
When asked if Ukraine should consider yielding territory to Russia as part of a negotiated resolution to the conflict, Trump replied: “We’ll see,” acknowledging that discussions were only beginning.
In an interview with Fox News following his visit with Trump, Macron indicated that a truce between Ukraine and Russia “could be achieved in the coming weeks.” He also commended Zelenskyy’s leadership and highlighted the importance of Trump meeting with the Ukrainian president.
Meanwhile, Putin on Monday indicated he would not oppose Europe’s participation in the discussions. In a televised interview covered by Agence France-Presse, the Russian president stated: “Not only European nations but other countries as well have the right and capacity to engage.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is scheduled to visit Trump later this week, amid growing concern in Europe over Trump’s increasingly hardline stance toward Ukraine and his overtures to Moscow regarding the three-year-old conflict.
This concern intensified on Monday as the UN Security Council adopted a US-drafted resolution that adopts a more conciliatory position toward Russia. Previously, the 15-member body had been unable to reach a consensus due to Russia’s veto power.
France, Britain, Denmark, Greece, and Slovenia abstained from the vote. Russia voted in favor after being unable to amend the resolution and vetoing European proposals to include language supporting Ukraine.
The US voted against a separate, Europe-backed UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, siding with North Korea, Belarus, and other Russia-aligned nations rather than its European allies.
Democratic Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, who co-led a bipartisan delegation to the recent Munich Security Conference, remarked: “This vote is disgraceful. Trump’s reckless betrayal of the alliances that have safeguarded Americans since World War II, alongside his loyalty to the violent aggressor Putin, poses a national security threat.”
