During a visit to China, French President Emmanuel Macron denied reports that he warned that the United States could betray Ukraine through a peace deal. He stressed that unity between Europe and the United States was key to the support so far and that it must continue.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that unity between Europe and the United States (US) was key in supporting Ukraine, and stressed that there is no "mistrust" between them.
During a visit to China, Macron stated that he denies everything in the report by the newspaper "Der Spiegel", which states that he warned about the possibility of the US betraying Ukraine.
"We need the United States of America to achieve peace. The United States of America needs us for this peace to be strong and lasting. And there is no scenario in which lasting peace in Ukraine is achieved without the joint efforts of Europeans, Americans, Canadians, Australians, Japanese and all those around this table who are part of this coalition of the willing," Macron stressed.
German magazine Der Spiegel has reported on a recent phone call between French President Macron and German Chancellor Merz, during which, according to the report, skepticism was expressed regarding the efforts of the US government and its envoys to negotiate peace between Ukraine and Russia. According to the report, Macron warned European leaders that “there is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine regarding territory, without clarity on security guarantees.”
The French president also spoke with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping about Ukraine. On the last day of his visit to China, he discussed the need for a "strong and lasting peace" in Ukraine and stressed that without Europe it cannot be achieved.
"We are the guarantors of security, we are the ones who can also discuss sanctions, we are the ones who hold the frozen Russian assets, and it is through this partnership that we will be effective," Macron declared.
The Russian assets were discussed by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever. The discussions were described as urgent as the EU rushes to salvage its financing plan for Ukraine, which includes the Russian assets. But so far, Belgium has opposed their use.
Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Moscow currently controls about 20 percent of Ukrainian territory.
Putin on Thursday, before meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave an interview to "India Today", in which, as quoted by Russian state media TASS, he said that Russia will "liberate Donbass at any cost, by military or other means."
"We will end this war when we achieve our goals at the beginning of the special military operation, when we liberate these territories. That's it," he said when asked what a Russian victory in this war would mean.
One of the Kremlin's biggest demands is that Ukraine hand over territory in the Donbas region, which Russia has illegally annexed but which it still does not fully control.
As Russia has doubled down on territorial demands, which Ukrainian officials continue to reject, the path to any compromise looks increasingly unclear.