U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron displayed stark differences on Monday in their approach to Ukraine, exposing a divide between the United States and Europe over Trump’s bid for a quick ceasefire deal with Russia.
During a day of talks between the two leaders, Trump and Macron showed a friendly rapport based on years of good ties. But Macron made clear he disagreed with Trump on some key issues as they marked three years since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022.
Trump refused to refer to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a dictator, after calling Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy a dictator last week. Macron said it was clear that Russia “is the aggressor” in the conflict, a topic Trump wavered on last week.
“President Putin violated the peace,” Macron said at a joint press conference with Trump.
Trump expressed a desire for a ceasefire as soon as possible and said he was trying to arrange one between Ukraine and Russia. He said he could go to Moscow to meet Putin once a deal is reached.
Macron, on the other hand, urged a more deliberate approach, starting with a truce and then a peace deal that includes security guarantees.
“We want peace, he wants peace. We want peace swiftly, but we don’t want an agreement that is weak,” Macron told reporters.
Any peace deal, he said, must be “assessed, checked and verified.”
The two leaders did agree, however, on the deployment of European peacekeeping forces once a peace deal is eventually reached.
“They would not be along the front lines. They would not be part of any conflict. They would be there to ensure that the peace is respected,” Macron said earlier in the Oval Office with Trump.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/macron-arrives-white-house-ukraine-talks-with-trump-2025-02-24/