Photo: Collected
French President Emmanuel Macron warned Monday that peace cannot mean the "surrender" of Ukraine, but said talks with US President Donald Trump had shown a path forward despite fears of a transatlantic rift. Meeting at the White House on the third anniversary of Russia's invasion, the two leaders said there was progress on the idea of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, although Macron insisted on US security guarantees for Kyiv.
Their talks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for peace "this year" as he met European leaders in Kyiv -- amid mounting fears that Trump is pivoting towards Russia's stance. At the United Nations, the United States sided with Russia twice on Monday, as Washington sought to avoid any condemnation of Moscow's invasion of its pro-Western neighbor.
"This peace cannot mean the surrender of Ukraine," Macron told a joint news conference with Trump. Macron said Trump had "good reason" to re-engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin but said it was critical for Washington to offer "backup" for any European peacekeeping force.
The French president said he would work with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who visits the White House on Thursday, on a proposal to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine in the event of a deal.
"After speaking with President Trump, I fully believe there is a path forward," said Macron. The French president rushed to Washington after Trump sent shock waves around the world when he declared his readiness to resume diplomacy with Russia and hold talks to end the Ukraine war without Kyiv.
Trump's recent embrace of Russia has sparked fears not only that it could spell the end of US support for Kyiv, but for the rest of Europe too. The US president said Monday he was confident of bringing an end to the war, and that he expected Zelensky at the White House in the next two weeks to sign a deal granting Washington access to Ukraine's rare minerals.
"I think we could end it within weeks -- if we're smart. If we're not smart, it will keep going," Trump said earlier in the Oval Office alongside Macron. Macron later agreed that a truce was possible in "weeks," in an interview with Fox News's Bret Baier.
Trump meanwhile added that Putin was ready to "accept" European troops deployed in Ukraine as guarantors of a deal to end fighting. But billionaire tycoon Trump repeated his demands that Europe bears the burden for future support of Ukraine, and that the US recoups the billions of dollars in aid it has given Kyiv.
He also declined to call Putin a dictator -- despite doing so to Zelensky last week -- or to comment on the UN resolutions. For his part, Putin has been biding his time since his ice-breaking call with Trump less than two weeks ago.
Putin said in an interview with state television Monday that European countries can "participate" in talks to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, his first sign of flexibility on the issue.
Sanctions-hit Moscow is meanwhile also eying the economic side, just as Trump is. Putin said Monday that US and Russian companies were "in touch" on joint economic projects -- including strategic minerals in occupied Ukraine.
Putin added in his interview with state television that Zelensky was becoming a "toxic figure" in Ukraine -- in comments that have again been echoed by Trump. Trump and Putin are eyeing a possible meeting in coming weeks in Saudi Arabia.
Zelensky, who has said he would step down in exchange for peace with a guarantee that Ukraine could join NATO, called on Monday for a "real, lasting peace" this year.
Putin's decision to launch the invasion in February 2022 set off the biggest conflict in Europe since World War II, leading to the deaths of tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides and Ukrainian civilians.
Trump has however accused Ukraine of starting the war, as he rapidly moves to abandon Democratic predecessor Joe Biden's support for Kyiv. The Republican spelled things out on Monday, saying he was making a "decisive break" with traditional US foreign policy which he called "very foolish."
In a sign of Washington's pivot, the US sided with Moscow and North Korea as it pushed its own language in a vote in the UN General Assembly that declined to blame Russia for the war. The United States then hailed a "landmark agreement" with Russia after the UN Security Council later adopted a US resolution that also contained no criticism of Moscow's aggression.
Messenger/JRTarek
