French President Emmanuel Macron will brief fellow European Union leaders on Wednesday on his talks in Washington with his American counterpart Donald Trump as part of the preparations for next month's emergency summit on European support for Ukraine.
Antonio Costa, who heads the European Council representing the bloc's 27 member states, announced on social media that he had organised a videoconference with Macron who spent Monday - the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - in the US capital.
Europe has scrambled for a unified response since Trump declared on 12 February that he was ready to negotiate with the Russian leader Vladimir Putin over ending the war.
Macron, who was president during Trump's first term between 2016 and 2020, said Trump had good reason to re-engage with Putin but warned of Europe's own experience in negotiating after conflict in Ukraine a decade ago.
Ukraine to lead agenda during Washington talks between top EU and US diplomats
"In 2014, our predecessors negotiated peace with President Putin, but because of the lack of guarantees and especially security guarantees President Putin violated this peace," Macron said.
"So this is why being strong and having deterrence capacities is the only way to be sure it will be respected," he said.
Macron, has proposed sending French troops to Ukraine to preserve any peace and said US support for any European peacekeeping force was vital.
"A lot of my European colleagues are ready to be engaged, but we do need this American backup, because this is part of the credibility of the security guarantees," he said.
Path to peace
Trump, like his predecessor Joe Biden, has ruled out sending US troops to Ukraine.
Macron 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.
Through the veneer of cordiality, the rift over Ukraine emerged following Macron's second session with Trump on Monday.
Macron warned that peace cannot mean the surrender of Ukraine. "We want a quick deal but not a fragile one," added Macron.
EU leaders in Ukraine to mark third anniversary of Russia’s invasion
As the talks between Macron and Trump were taking place, the US sided with Russia in two votes at the United Nations to avoid condemning Russia's campaign against Ukraine - a shift from the stance of the previous US administration.
Trump's embrace of Russia has sparked fears that the end of US support for Kyiv could be looming.
Next week's talks in Brussels will focus on supporting the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and bolstering Europe's defences. Describing the importance of the impending talks, Costa said: "It is a defining moment for Ukraine and European security."
