French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday, urging calm after Trump warned he could cut U.S. support for Ukraine.
📌 What happened?
Trump threatened to withdraw support for Ukraine during a White House meeting.
Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are pushing for European security guarantees for Kyiv.
⚠️ Why it matters?
European allies worry a rushed ceasefire could strengthen Russia.
Macron hopes to secure EU backing for a major defense funding plan.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke Saturday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and former U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for calm after a tense White House meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy the day before.
The French presidency said Macron also spoke with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Council President Antonio Costa, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte ahead of a European leaders' meeting on Ukraine set for Sunday in London.
During an Oval Office meeting on Friday, Trump warned he could withdraw U.S. support for Ukraine, alarming European allies who fear a rushed ceasefire could embolden Russia three years after its invasion.
“I think that beyond the frayed nerves, everybody needs to calm down, show respect and gratitude, so we can move forward concretely, because what’s at stake is too important,” Macron said in an interview published Sunday.
Macron and Starmer have been leading European efforts to convince Trump not to push for an immediate ceasefire and to provide Ukraine with security guarantees. During meetings in Washington, they presented a plan that includes deploying peacekeepers in Ukraine.
Macron said Zelenskyy had expressed willingness to "restore dialogue" with the U.S., including discussions on a deal granting U.S. access to revenues from Ukraine’s natural resources. He did not disclose what Trump said in their call.
“America’s manifest destiny is to stand alongside Ukrainians—I have no doubt about that,” Macron told La Tribune Dimanche. “I want Americans to understand that pulling support from Ukraine is not in their interest.”
Macron also said he hopes European leaders will back a joint debt plan at an EU summit on March 6, aiming to raise "several hundred billion euros" for European defense.
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