French President Emmanuel Macron denied all reports of European skepticism toward U.S. peace efforts as officials from Kyiv hold marathon talks in Florida.
Macron emphatically said on Thursday that there is “no mistrust” between Europe and President Donald Trump, rebuking reports that he and other heads of state believed the White House would “betray” Ukraine.
“I deny everything,” he said when prompted by a reporter during his state visit to China. “Unity between Americans and Europeans on the Ukrainian issue is essential. And I say it again and again, we need to work together.”
“We need the United States for peace,” he continued. “The United States need us for this peace to be lasting and robust.”
The leaked conversation, which included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb, took place on Monday ahead of U.S. officials’ meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
“There is a possibility that the U.S. will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarity on security guarantees,” Macron reportedly told the European leaders.
“They are playing games, both with you and with us,” Merz said, according to the transcripts, adding that Zelensky needed to be “extremely careful in the coming days.”
If Ukrainian officials are sympathetic to the views expressed in the alleged transcript, it has not stopped them from continuing to engage. Diplomats are currently meeting with their U.S counterparts in Florida.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff, who, with Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, spearheaded the latest diplomatic discussions with Putin at the Kremlin, met with Ukrainian senior negotiator Rustem Umerov on Thursday.
Their meetings continued on Friday and allegedly could go through the weekend. It is unclear whether Kushner is included in the discussions.
The U.S. has promised not only to continue weapons shipments to Ukraine but also to boost deliveries ahead of Christmas. However, it is allegedly pressing Europe behind the scenes to take a bigger role in managing the conflict moving forward.
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Sources familiar with classified conversations on the plan said the White House is seeking to offload responsibility for being the “automatic first responder” of NATO by 2027, according to a report in the Kyiv Post on Friday. However, “support for Ukraine remains.”
The Trump administration has for months stated its vision of a trans-Atlantic partnership to share the burden of defense in Western nations.
