President Emmanuel Macron of France urged Donald Trump to help build a lasting peace in Ukraine on Monday, even as the American president heralded the prospect of ‘major Economic Development transactions’ with Moscow.
It shows how Trump is ready to move on from the war in Ukraine even as European leaders worry that he is getting too close to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
The distance between leaders was on display as Trump greeted Macron at the White House.
The French president gripped his counterpart’s hand for a full 10 seconds as the two leaders grappled for dominance even as they smiled warmly for the cameras.
And at one point in the Oval Office Macron grimaced as Trump incorrectly suggested European assistance to Ukraine was in the form of loans.
Trump has sent shockwaves through Europe by criticizing the Ukrainian president and claiming that Ukraine started the war rather than Russia.
And on Monday, just before officially welcoming Macron to the White House he sent out a post on Truth Social talking up his contacts with Putin.
‘At the same time, I am in serious discussions with President Vladimir Putin of Russia concerning the ending of the War, and also major Economic Development transactions which will take place between the United States and Russia,’ he wrote.
‘Talks are proceeding very well!’
Before his visit, Macron said he would present Trump with arguments that it was not in his interests to bend to Moscow.
‘I will tell him: Deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President (Putin). It’s not you, it’s not what you’re made of and it’s not in your interests,’ he said during a social media question-and-answer session.
French President Emmanuel Macron met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office
Macron joined Trump for a G7 conference call on Monday. He posted to Truth Social after
The two were starting the day on a conference call with G7 leaders on the day marking the third anniversary of the full Russian invasion of Ukraine.
He will be tag teamed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who will be at the White House on Thursday.
He previewed his case just ahead of Macron’s arrival, unveiling fresh sanctions on Moscow and saying that Trump had ‘changed the global conversation’ around Ukraine.
‘We must keep dialling up the economic pressure to get Putin to a point where he is ready not just to talk, but to make concessions,’ he said during a remote address to a gathering of Ukraine’s allies.
Aides later clarified that Starmer meant Trump had changed the conversation ‘for the better.’
The U.K. and France represent Europe’s nuclear powers. And their leaders have indicated they are ready to step up assistance to Ukraine, and stand up a European military force to protect a peace deal.
Trump also met the Polish president on the sidelines of a conservative conference on Saturday.
It illustrates the way Trump has at a stroke upended the U.S. position on Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives at the White House on Monday morning
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced fresh sanctions on Moscow
European leaders at a memorial to Ukrainian victims of the Russian invasion on the third anniversary of the start of the war
Where the Biden administration took pains to isolate Moscow and its autocratic leader Putin, Trump changed direction with a 90-minute phone to the Russian leader earlier this month.
Russian officials say they have already begun preparations for a Trump-Putin summit.
European leaders, closer to the war than Trump, fear that Putin will get whatever he wants if American president pushes through a peace agreement without Ukrainians at the table at every step.
President Donald Trump has upended the discussion about Russia and Ukraine
And relations between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky soured after he rejected a deal that would give Washington access to deposits of rare earth minerals, crucial for the production of mobile phones and new earth technologies.
On Saturday, Trump said he was confident that the deal would soon be accepted.
The divide between Europe and the U.S. was on stark display at the United Nations on Monday, where diplomats were waiting to vote on two duelling resolutions.
Ukraine’s resolution, backed by Europe, demands the immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from its territory.
A U.S. proposal calls for a swift end to the war but does not mention Russian aggression.
