French President Emmanuel Macron has issued a grave warning to European leaders that former U.S. President Donald Trump could potentially ‘betray Ukraine’ in fragile peace talks aimed at resolving the conflict with Russia.
A leaked call transcript, reported by the German newspaper Der Spiegel, reveals that Macron cautioned Kyiv’s allies that the U.S. might compel Ukraine to concede territory to Russia without obtaining any security assurances.
The call, which included Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, was leaked amidst ongoing peace discussions between Ukraine and Russia.
“There is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarity on security guarantees,” Macron stated, emphasizing the “great danger” involved.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed agreement, advising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to be “extremely careful” in the upcoming days.
In reference to Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Merz cautioned: “They are playing games, both with you and with us.”
Macron’s remarks reflect growing skepticism towards the U.S. under Trump’s administration, especially after a peace proposal by Trump suggested Ukraine should cede territory to Russia with minimal concessions from the latter.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine began in February 2022, with fierce battles over regions like the Donbas in Eastern Ukraine continuing since.
Numerous peace efforts have failed to yield results, despite Trump’s claims that he could resolve the ongoing conflict, which has resulted in over 400,000 casualties.
Initial reactions from European leaders and U.S. allies criticized Trump’s plan for disproportionately favoring Russia. Consequently, a revised agreement, which Ukraine accepted, was drafted.
However, Russia has not agreed to these terms, leading Kyiv to infer that Russian President Vladimir Putin is unwilling to negotiate genuinely, expecting instead his demands to be met fully.
Prospects for a peaceful resolution are diminishing, as Putin’s recent statements suggest he remains resolute in his plans to seize the Donbas region.
“Either we liberate these territories by force of arms, or Ukrainian troops leave these territories,” Putin told India Today ahead of his trip to New Delhi.
Kyiv remains steadfast in its refusal to cede any territory to Russia that hasn’t been taken militarily, with President Zelensky emphasizing that Russia should not be rewarded for its aggression.
Putin recently met with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, but the discussions did not produce an agreement on peace terms.
Putin described the meeting as ‘very useful’ but acknowledged unresolved issues.
He told India Today: “I think it is too early to say, but this meeting was necessary.”
“We had to go over every point, which is why it took so long… So it was a necessary conversation, a very concrete one… Somewhere we said, yes, we can discuss this, but we can’t agree on that. That’s precisely the tone of the conversation.”