Trump said Putin "wants to end this war" and Macron anticipated a truce in a few weeks
US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin "wants to end this war" and agreed with French President Emmanuel Macron, who anticipated that a "truce" in the war in Ukraine could be reached in the "coming weeks."
Asked by reporters whether Putin would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine, Trump replied: "Yes. I would. I've already asked him."
" Troops could go to Ukraine as peacekeepers, so that when there is an agreement they can monitor that everything is being carried out properly. I don't think that would be a problem ," Trump argued.
Later, in a formal press conference with Emmanuel Macron, Trump recalled that "before I arrived there was no communication with Russia and Russia did not answer calls."
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Donald Trump: "It's time to restore peace and I think we're going to do it""When I arrived, one of the first calls I made was to Putin and he made it very respectfully. They want to end this war," he said. He added that he wants "this war to stop" either through a ceasefire or a direct agreement .
"First, a truce is needed. I think that could be reached in the next few weeks," Macron said in an interview with Fox News after holding a meeting with the US president at the White House.
The US president said that Putin would be willing to accept the deployment of European peacekeeping forces and could even "perhaps" return part of the territories he currently controls, although he warned that "it will not be easy."
"The purpose of our meeting today is to end another battle, a truly horrible one, something we have not seen since the Second World War," he argued. "It is time to restore peace and I believe we will do so (...). We have had wonderful contacts, also with Russia."
Trump also referred to the issue of territories occupied by Russia: " Yes, I do. Maybe" he could take back territories," Trump said in response to another question. " I hope so. We'll talk about it ," he added, referring to the French president.
Emmanuel Macron: "This peace cannot mean the surrender of Ukraine"Macron, for his part, warned that peace cannot mean the "surrender" of Ukraine , but said talks with President Trump had shown a way forward despite fears of a transatlantic rift.
Meeting at the White House on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, the two leaders said there was progress on the idea of sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, though Macron insisted on U.S. security guarantees for Kiev.
Macron said Trump had "good reasons" to re-engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but said it was critical that Washington offered "backing" to any European peacekeeping force.
Trump and Macron's talks came as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for peace "this year" while meeting European leaders in kyiv, amid growing fears that Trump is shifting toward Russia's stance.
In the three years of open Russian military offensive against Ukraine , the country lost around 11 percent of its territory , according to the latest analysis.
For his part, Macron argued that "we are ready to engage." "Many of my European colleagues are ready to participate," he added, although he explained that the goal is "to first achieve something that can be evaluated, checked and verified." "We have to be sure that there are sufficient guarantees in the short term."
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The French leader believes that "we need the support of the United States because it contributes to the credibility of security guarantees and that is our capacity for collective deterrence." Thus, he believes that the United States and Europe must "share responsibilities" for the final objective , which is "a quick agreement, but not a fragile agreement."
Macron, who showed a very good rapport with Trump, stressed that in his dialogue with Trump "we have managed to take substantial steps forward," although he qualified that the agreement should not be "a surrender" for Ukraine.
"This peace must not mean Ukraine's surrender or an unguaranteed ceasefire. It must allow Ukraine to maintain its sovereignty and negotiate with other actors on issues that affect it," he added.
During the press conference, Trump again mentioned that the United States spent much more to help Ukraine than Europe, a claim that has been repeatedly questioned.
Specifically, Trump says that "we have spent more than 300 billion dollars and Europe has spent around 100 billion." "It is a significant difference and we will have to equal it at some point," he said.
Trump made a similar statement during the meeting with Macron and the press in the Oval Office of the White House, where Macron interrupted him by taking him by the arm.
" No. Actually, to be frank, we have financed 60 percent of all spending and it has been with loans and guarantees, like the United States, and we have also put in real money ," he explained.
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