French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Washington next week amid European concerns over Donald Trump’s approach to Ukraine and his outreach to Moscow.
The leaders of France and Britain, Europe’s two nuclear powers, will visit the U.S. separately to urge Trump not to rush into a ceasefire deal with Vladimir Putin without European involvement. They are also expected to discuss military guarantees for Ukraine.
Macron, who has built a working relationship with Trump since their first terms, warned that a weak deal would send the wrong message to global rivals like China and Iran. “You cannot be weak in the face of Putin,” he said ahead of his White House visit on Monday.
The visits come amid a growing rift between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom Trump recently called a “dictator.” European officials worry about a shift in U.S. policy that could pressure Kyiv into an unfavourable peace deal.
Britain and France have been preparing post-war security plans with European allies, focusing on military guarantees for Ukraine. While both nations have ruled out deploying troops immediately, discussions include air, maritime, and cyber support based in Poland and Romania to deter future Russian aggression.
A Western official said that even if peacekeepers were needed, European forces would focus on protecting Ukrainian infrastructure rather than securing frontlines. Russia has already signalled opposition to any European presence in Ukraine.
Starmer will meet Trump in Washington on Thursday. Trump, speaking on Fox News, downplayed their efforts, saying Macron and Starmer had done little to end the war. However, he described Macron as a “friend” and Starmer as a “very nice guy.”
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