Putin does not want peace but a "capitulation" of Ukraine, says Macron, who will travel to Washington on Monday

Vladimir Putin does not want peace but a "capitulation" of Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron assured this Sunday, August 17, following a videoconference meeting with the "coalition of the willing," allied with kyiv.

"Do I think President Putin wants peace? If you want my firm conviction, no. He wants Ukraine to surrender, that's what he's proposed," the French head of state said.

Emmanuel Macron also said on Sunday that he wanted "a robust, lasting peace, that is, one that respects international law, (...) that respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries." On the contrary, he argued that Donald Trump was seeking peace between Russia and Ukraine.

On the eve of a meeting between Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday in Washington, which Emmanuel Macron and several European officials are also due to attend, "our desire is to present a united front between Europeans and Ukrainians," and to ask the Americans "to what extent" they are prepared to contribute to the security guarantees that would be offered to Ukraine in a peace agreement, the French president added.

The issue of security guarantees for Ukraine is central to the development of a possible peace agreement, as they would be intended to deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.

He was cautious about the possibility put forward by Donald Trump of granting Ukraine protections similar to those of NATO, without kyiv becoming a member of the Atlantic Alliance.

"I believe that a theoretical article is not enough. The question is the substance," he said.

"How can we collectively ensure that the international order is respected and that our collective security is protected, because the security of Europeans and of France is at stake," he said from his summer residence at Fort de Brégançon (southeast of France), after more than two hours of a meeting of the "coalition of the willing."

"There can be no territorial discussions on Ukraine without the Ukrainians," and "in the same way, no discussion on the security of Europeans without them," added Emmanuel Macron, asking that the latter be invited to the next summits on Ukraine.

"We are going (to Washington) tomorrow not just to accompany the Ukrainian president, we are going there to defend the interests of Europeans," he stressed.

Reacting to Emmanuel Macron 's comments about a "capitulation" of Ukraine, which he said Moscow wanted, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused the French leader of "abject lies" on Telegram on Sunday.

She said Moscow had offered a "peaceful settlement" to the conflict for seven years under the Minsk agreements that followed Russia's 2014 annexation of Ukrainian Crimea and the start of a war in eastern Ukraine between kyiv and Kremlin-backed separatists.

Ms Zakharova also criticised the French president for dangling the prospect of "victory on the battlefield in front of kyiv, knowing perfectly well that it was impossible", delivering weapons to Ukraine and making "false promises to the Ukrainians".