French President Emmanuel Macron has indicated that a ceasefire deal between Russia and Ukraine may be agreed upon within weeks.
After his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Macron insisted that caution is required when negotiating peace with Russia.
In an interview on Fox News after meeting Trump, the French leader emphasized that a resolution in Ukraine cannot be translated as Ukraine giving up and would need to have firm security guarantees.
"In 2014, we had a ceasefire with Russia … it was broken every time," Macron highlighted, emphasizing that any ceasefire with Russian President Vladimir Putin would require enforceable security conditions.
He said he was confident negotiations on a truce and the initiation of formal peace talks could be held within weeks.
Macron further revealed that he had summoned a high-level meeting of senior European Union officials in Paris last week, as Russia and the US were negotiating on Ukraine in Saudi Arabia.
We are not looking to engage on the front lines or to fuel conflict but to be in some places strategically, as defined by the deal, to maintain peace and our combined credibility with US backing," Macron said.
At a joint press briefing with Trump after their meeting, Macron described their talks as fruitful and recognized that European countries have to boost their defense capabilities. But he also warned against granting too much ground to Russia.
Their talks took place as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for peace within the year during a meeting with European leaders in Kyiv, against the backdrop of fears that Trump is tilting towards a Russia-friendly approach.
A Strategic Shift
Describing Trump's possible comeback to the White House as a "game changer," Macron stated, "He (Trump) knows how to re-engage with Russia but using the entire deterrence capacity of the US.
Outlining his vision for the ceasefire process, Macron stated, “The sequence should begin with negotiations between the US and Russia, followed by talks between the US and Ukraine. President Trump announced today that he is open to a short-term meeting with Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy—this is highly significant.”
A ceasefire could realistically be negotiated within weeks," he went on, stressing that it needs to be enforced on land, in the air, at sea, and in Ukraine's infrastructure. He threatened that if Russia does not adhere to it, it would demonstrate that Moscow was not serious about peace and that Ukraine's sovereignty would need to be defended further.
Macron proposed that a US pledge to Ukraine's sovereignty could be bolstered by an extended pact on key minerals, which is being negotiated between Kyiv and Washington.
Trump Hints at War Ending 'Within Weeks'
Prior to his encounter with Macron, Trump predicted that the Ukraine war was nearing its end.
In general comments on the war, Trump claimed that he thought Russian President Vladimir Putin would consent to the deployment of European peacekeepers in Ukraine to provide stability. He also expressed hope that fighting could end within weeks and that President Zelenskyy could soon visit the US to seal an agreement allowing Washington access to Ukraine's strategic minerals. This deal, he said, could potentially offset some of the $180 billion in US aid given to Kyiv since the conflict started.
"It appears that we are very close," Trump said at the beginning of his bilateral meeting with Macron, suggesting that Zelenskyy could travel to Washington as soon as this week or next to seal the agreement.
The war in Ukraine marked its third anniversary on February 24, with thousands of Ukrainian civilians killed and over six million seeking refuge abroad.
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