French President Emmanuel Macron weighed in on Donald Trump’s recent statement claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin might be open to negotiations to resolve the ongoing war in Ukraine. This exchange was captured on a hot mic during a conversation between the two leaders on Monday.
Recently, various European leaders, including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, convened in Washington, D.C. shortly after the Trump-and-Putin meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. The aim was to show solidarity with Ukraine and to ensure that Kyiv does not succumb to any pressure to agree to terms that would undo the adverse consequences of Putin’s aggression.
At this spur-of-the-moment summit at the White House, Trump was pick up on the mic saying to Macron, “I think [Putin] wants to make a deal for me. Do you understand? As crazy as it sounds.”
In a chat with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Macron commented on the optimism Trump showcased regarding his capacity to bring peace between Moscow and Kyiv. “Your president, indeed, exudes confidence about his ability to finalize this deal, which is good news for everyone involved,” stated Macron.
However, he expressed doubts about Putin’s willingness to put an end to the conflict, which sparked from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. Macron noted, “From my perspective, observing the current situation and available evidence, I don’t believe President Putin truly wants peace at this moment. But maybe I’m just being overly pessimistic.”
Macron continued, “At some point, we may need to step up the pressure on Russia to ensure they desire peace, as long as President Putin and his supporters believe they can win this war via force, they will not be willing to negotiate.”
In contrast, Trump appears to be more optimistic about reaching an agreement with Putin, despite the latter not showing significant signs of goodwill toward peace.
