The development comes hours after senior Russian and US officials met for high-stakes talks on mending bilateral ties to negotiate a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine and preparing for a potential meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday had a phone call with his US and Ukrainian counterparts – Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid talks between Moscow and Washinton DC to end the ongoing war.
Macron posted on X, “After bringing together several European leaders, I have just spoken with President @realDonaldTrump and then with President @ZelenskyyUa. We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine.”
To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians, his post read.
“Otherwise, there is a risk that this ceasefire will end up like the Minsk agreements. We will work on this together with all Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians. This is the key. We are convinced that Europeans must invest better, more, and together in their security and defense—both for today and for the future,” he said.
To this end, Europeans want to accelerate the implementation of their own agenda for sovereignty, security, and competitiveness, the French President asserted, saying the work will continue based on the European Commission’s proposals, both in supporting Ukraine and in developing and investing in our defense.
“This agenda, defined in 2022 at the Versailles Summit, must simply be carried out. Decisions, actions, coherence. Quickly. I will continue these discussions in the coming days,” he added.
Macron also called leaders from key European Union nations and the United Kingdom to the Elysee Palace for talks on how to react to the US diplomatic blitz on Ukraine, which left the once rock-solid partner as a potential political liability.
Last week, top US officials from the Trump administration made their first visit to Europe, leaving the impression that Washington was ready to embrace the Kremlin while it cold-shouldered many of its age-old European allies.
(With AP inputs)
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