While there must be a push for peace to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron is skeptical that Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to resolve the conflict.
“Looking at the situation and facts, President Putin is not very happy to see peace now,” Macron told “Press the” moderator Kristen Welker in an exclusive interview Monday after the High Stakes White House meeting. “But maybe I’m too pessimistic.”
He also said, “Your President’s optimism should be taken seriously, so if he thinks he can get the deal done, this is great news and we have to do everything we can.”
Macron argued that the US must put pressure on Russia and Putin to find a resolution, including introducing more sanctions.
If the trilateral meeting collapses, announced by President Donald Trump between Putin and Ukrainian President Voldimi Zelensky, “or if Russians do not follow this approach, yes, we need to increase sanctions, secondary and major sanctions,” Macron said.
“There are invaders who are Russia. There are countries that have decided to kill people, steal children, and refuse ceasefires and peace, so we cannot create an equal situation between Ukraine and Russia.”
Ukraine must be given security assurances to prevent future Russian attacks that could extend the conflict or launch a new war, Macron said after meetings with Trump, Zelensky and top European leaders.
“If we enter into a peace agreement without security guarantees, Russia will never respect that word and will never adhere to its own commitment,” Macron said.
He said that Trump has been promised to point out that one of the key points of his meeting with Putin on Friday was that he had accepted Ukraine’s security guarantees.
When asked about the possibility of a ceasefire, Macron said, “I hope.” Russia pointed out that even if a delegation of world leaders was in the US, it had struck in Ukraine.
“It is impossible for the Ukrainian president and Ukrainian officials to talk about peace as their country is destroyed and civilians are killed,” he said.
Putin appears to be trying to keep pressure on talks over the fatal attacks in Kharkov and Zaporidia overnight, pushing Zelensky to meet what is considered a clean-up demand for the ordinary territories of Ukraine’s Russian occupying territories.
Macron said there shouldn’t be a land exchange, as Trump suggests. Especially because during the war of Russia, there was a long period in which the military could not make great profits in controlling Ukrainian lands.
“We don’t see any exchanges in the Russian proposals, except for swaps that compared to what they originally wanted,” he said.
“Now when we talk about territory, it’s because the Ukrainian president and the people of Ukrainians will discuss it,” he said.
The heavyweight team has joined Macron of the White House. This highlights the importance of the speeches by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO executive director Mark Latte, British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer, German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
Macron is one of Europe’s most outspoken leaders about war. He said in a speech in March that Russia poses a threat to the entire continent.
And on Monday, he once again emphasized that the threat is far beyond Ukraine.
“What’s going on in Ukraine is obviously very important to the people of Ukraine, but for the overall security of Europe, we’re talking about including nuclear power. This is just a decision not to respect international borders anymore. And I think that’s very important to your country. “The way we behave in Ukraine is a test of our collective reliability in other parts of the world.”
