A peace deal for Ukraine will not survive without American “backup”, Emmanuel Macron has warned Donald Trump.
The French President, during his visit to the White House on Monday, urged Trump to learn from previous mistakes of the West in dealing with Russian President Vladimir Putin as he said protecting Ukraine from Russian aggression would need substantial “security guarantees”.
Mr Macron said during a press conference with the US president that Europe understood the need to “more fairly share the security burden” but “we do need this American backup, because this is part of the credibility of the security guarantees, and this is our collective deterrence capital.”
The lack of “security guarantees” secured by western leaders after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea led to the invasion of Ukraine eight years later, Mr Macron said.
Trump, however, did not say whether the emerging peace deal would include American security guarantees.
"Europe is going to make sure nothing happens," Trump stated.
The US leader had earlier said Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine as part of a potential deal to end Russia's war in the country.
Trump made the comments to reporters at the start of his meeting with Macron on the third anniversary of the invasion.
"Yeah, he will accept it," Trump said. "I have asked him that question. Look, if we do this deal, he's not looking for world war."
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has previously said he would be willing to put British troops on the ground as part of security guarantees that could end the war.
Mr Macron is the first European leader to visit Trump since he regained power a month ago. Sir Keir will visit later in the week. Mr Macron was at the White House for a morning session that lasted an hour and 45 minutes, including both leaders participating in a video conference with other G7 leaders about Ukraine.
The pair projected cordiality but clashed when Trump made false claims about the funding of the war. He said: “Just so you understand, Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine. They’re getting their money back.”
Mr Macron leaned over and touched Trump’s arm before interjecting: “No, in fact, to be frank, we paid. We paid 60% of the total effort. It was like the US: loans, guarantees, grants. We have $230bn in frozen assets in Europe, Russian assets. But this is not collateral of a loan because it is not our belonging. So they are frozen.”
The meeting between the French and American leaders came shortly after the US caused shock after voting against a UN General Assembly resolution in New York demanding an immediate withdrawal of all Russian troops from Ukraine.
The non-binding resolution passed with 93 votes in favour. The US was one of 18 countries to vote against it, including North Korea, Burundi and Nicaragua, as well as Russia and close ally Belarus. The move was branded US Democrats as a “betrayal” of Ukraine by the Trump administration.
Putin must be pushed “not just to talk, but to make concessions” on Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir said earlier to world leaders at a summit in Kyiv.
"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," the Prime Minister said in a remote address to the meeting of leaders.
The UK Government has announced further sanctions on Russia and is urging G7 nations to take more risks to weaken the Russian war machine, including sanctioning Russian oil giants and going after banks that enable sanctions evasion.
The Prime Minister said Trump has "changed the global conversation" around Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but that this provided an "opportunity".
He repeated calls for Ukraine to have a seat at the table for any peace talks, and for a US "backstop" to any peace agreement, which he is expected to discuss with Mr Trump when he visits Washington later this week.
Sir Keir added that Putin "does not hold all the cards in this war", pointing to Ukraine's continued "courage to defend their country" and the prospect of tightened sanctions hitting the Russian economy.
The UK on Monday announced 107 new sanction designations, that include 40 "shadow fleet" ships and 14 "new kleptocrats", including Russian billionaire Roman Trotsenko, as part of the largest sanctions package since 2022.
North Korean officials involved in sending troops to fight for Russia, Kyrgyz bank OJSC Keremet, and companies in China, Turkey and India that supply tools and goods to Russia's military, were also listed.
Volodymyr Zelensky said that he hoped that the war in Ukraine would end this year as the world leaders gathered in Kyiv.
The Ukrainian president said that 2025 “should be the year of the beginning of a real, lasting peace” at a summit to commemorate the start in 2022 of the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
“Putin will not gift us this peace, nor will he give it to us in exchange for anything. We have to win peace with strength, wisdom and unity - with our cooperation," he said.
Sir Keir, who will also take part in a call to G7 leaders on Monday, including President Trump, that Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression was key to protecting Europe’s “collective security and values” and that the UK stood with Ukraine “for a just and lasting peace”.
His comments came as world leaders gathered in the Ukrainian capital on Monday afternoon in a show of support.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau were among those who laid flowers to pay tribute to the lives lost in the war.
They were met off the train by Ukraine's foreign minister and President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff.
"We are in Kyiv today, because Ukraine is Europe. In this fight for survival, it is not only the destiny of Ukraine that is at stake. It's Europe's destiny," Ms von der Leyen wrote on X.
At a summit hosted by the Ukrainian Government, Mr Trudeau described the Russian invasion as “a war on our way of life, a war on democracy, on the rule of law and self determination, a war on justice and a war on truth”.
He said: “Ukrainians have lost their lives fighting courageously for their land, children [have been] taken from their families and homes and communities, which is a disgusting war crime.”
Mr Zelensky marked the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine on Monday by praising the “absolute heroism” of the Ukrainian people.
He said in a statement: “Three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of Ukrainians. I am proud of Ukraine! I thank everyone who defends and supports it. Everyone who works for Ukraine.
"And may the memory of all those who gave their lives for our state and people be eternal.”
Thousands of Ukrainian citizens have died and more than six million live as refugees abroad since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion by land, sea and air, starting the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War Two.
Military losses have been catastrophic, with western officials estimating that hundreds of thousands have been killed or wounded on each side.
US President Donald Trump sparked global alarm last week after baselessly accusing Mr Zelensky of being a “dictator”, amid signs of a growing rift between Europe and Washington.
US officials have already held talks with Moscow over a possible deal to end the conflict, without Kyiv or Europe’s cooperation.
Washington has made clear it will send no troops as a security guarantee coveted by Kyiv if a peace deal emerges, placing the burden squarely on European powers that are likely to struggle without US backing.
Meanwhile, Russia launched 185 drones against Ukraine overnight but caused no significant damage, the Ukrainian air force said.
Kyiv's military said a deep strike had hit Russia's Ryazan oil refinery, causing at least five explosions in its vicinity.
