WASHINGTON — French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Washington seeking to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to stand by Europe’s side in his talks with Russia about ending the war in Ukraine. As Macron left the White House, he called the meeting a “turning point” — yet Trump made no promises.
Macron was the first European leader to visit Trump since his reelection, aiming to capitalize on their friendship to urge Trump not to “be weak” in dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump’s recent statements that echo Putin’s narrative and plans to have direct negotiations with Moscow have left European allies and Ukrainian officials worried. Following Monday’s meeting, Macron praised Trump’s move towards Putin in an interview on Fox News, saying it may lead to a truce between Russia and Ukraine in the coming weeks.
“But my message was to say ‘be careful’ because we need something substantial for Ukraine,” Macron said.
“We want peace swiftly, but we don’t want an agreement that is weak,” Macron said earlier in a joint news conference with Trump. Any deal with Russia, Macron insisted, must be able to be “assessed, checked and verified.”
Asked at the news conference by an Associated Press reporter what makes Trump believe he can trust Putin in negotiations about Ukraine, Trump answered, “I may be wrong, but I believe he wants to make a deal.”
Macron is known for his bold diplomatic moves.
In February last year, he was the first European leader to publicly consider sending Western troops to Ukraine. In December, as he welcomed Trump to Paris to celebrate the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral, he hastily arranged a three-way meeting at the Elysee Palace with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. And last week, he called an emergency meeting of key EU leaders and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer — who is scheduled to meet with Trump Thursday — to insist Europeans have a say in talks to end the war in Ukraine.
Macron, who came into office in 2017, is one of the few leaders who got to know Trump during his first term.
“We call each other several times a week,” Macron told the French online news channel HugoDécrypte, according to excerpts released Tuesday. “Even if it doesn’t have an immediate impact, this allows us to know each other’s thinking.”
Their friendly relations were reflected Monday in Macron’s gentle correction, hand on Trump’s arm, to make clear that Europeans gave “real money” to Ukraine, not just loans.
Macron did not come to Washington empty handed. He repeatedly said he would push to boost French and European defense spending, in response to one of Trump’s most insistent demands.
He also voiced support for Trump’s push to make a deal for access to Ukraine’s valuable mineral resources, which he described as a sign of “very strong American involvement.” Paris, like Kyiv, sees the deal as a way to secure long-term U.S. support for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Trump said he agreed with the possibility to deploy European security forces in Ukraine once a peace deal is achieved.
But he didn’t make any promises regarding Ukraine’s sovereignty or Europe’s security.
