French President Emmanuel Macron has issued a stark warning that any peace deal forcing Ukraine to cede territory to Russia would be a major victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin. French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Ukraine may have to recognize the loss of some territory in any future peace deal with Russia, a statement that has sparked debate across Europe. Macron will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Donald Trump, and other leaders in Washington for talks, raising questions about what Ukraine might have to give up to achieve peace.
Apart from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will also be in Washington.
Macron emphasised that Ukraine must not be pressured into recognising Russia’s control over territories seized by force, particularly Crimea, taken in 2014. The European leaders will be in Washington to ensure Ukraine’s interests remain central in negotiations, following Trump’s August 15 summit with Putin in Alaska, which failed to produce a ceasefire and sparked concerns in Kyiv and Europe about possible territorial concessions.
EN DIRECT | Déclaration du Président @EmmanuelMacron à l'issue de la réunion de la Coalition des volontaires. https://t.co/RasROYZcja
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What Macron Said
“In previous agreements, some countries committed to protect UKR if it were attacked and we didn’t do it. Today, did we send troops? No. So a theoretical article isn’t sufficient, the question is the substance.
Since 2008 RUS hasn’t stopped wanting to conquer new territories, revise intl border, never honored its promises of peace and non-aggression, if we are weak today with Russia we are preparing tomorrow’s conflicts. Europe no longer has framework that protects it because framework built during Cold War doesn’t exist anymore, through UKR conflict we are redefining rules of our collective security, we must be participants and so we’re going tmrw to defend UKR and our interests”
European and NATO leaders announced Sunday they will join President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Washington to present a united front in talks with President Donald Trump on ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
