Don’t be weak with Putin, Macron to tell Trump in Washington visit

PARIS - President Emmanuel Macron said on Feb 20 that France was entering a “new era” three years after Russia invaded Ukraine and that he planned to tell US President Donald Trump that he could not “be weak” with Vladimir Putin.

Mr Macron also robustly defended Mr Volodymyr Zelensky, the embattled leader of war-torn Ukraine, speaking ahead of a planned visit to the White House to meet Mr Trump next week.

Mr Macron has sought to coordinate a European response to

Washington’s shock policy shift

in US-Russia relations, hosting this week two emergency meetings with leaders of EU and non-EU nations including Germany, Britain, Canada and Norway.

He said he wanted the French to grasp the magnitude of the threat coming from the Kremlin, calling Russia “an existential threat to Europeans.”

On Feb 20, Mr Macron, 47, said in a question-and-answer session on social media that France was entering a “new era.”

“We are entering an era in which each of us must ask what we can do for the French nation and the Republic,” Mr Macron said after discussing Ukraine with party leaders earlier in the day.

Mr Trump has sent shock waves around Europe by saying he is ready to resume diplomacy with Mr Putin to end Russia’s war against Ukraine, over the heads of European countries and Kyiv.

Mr Trump will meet in Washington with Mr Macron on Feb 24 and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Feb 27 next week, the White House said.

“I’m going to tell him: ‘You can’t be weak with President Putin. That’s not who you are, it’s not your trademark, it’s not in your interest’,” Mr Macron said.

‘Strategic mistake’

“I will tell him: ‘If you let Ukraine be taken, Russia will not stop,” he said.

“Not only will it be even stronger, it will continue to invest, but it will take over Ukraine and its army, which is one of the largest in Europe, with all our equipment, including American equipment’“, he added, saying it would be a “huge strategic mistake.”

Mr Macron insisted it was in Mr Trump’s interest to work with Europeans, pointing to Europe’s “capacity for growth” and economic potential.

But he also sought to put a brave face on days of head-spinning US declarations, saying that the “uncertainty” generated by the US president should be “used” against Mr Putin.

Mr Macron also said France and Europe needed to beef up security and that the threat from Russia “will force us to make very strong choices for ourselves, for our defence and our security.”

“We Europeans must increase our war effort,” he added.

Mr Macron stressed he did not plan to send troops to Ukraine “tomorrow” but indicated that France was considering providing security guarantees to Ukraine following a ceasefire deal with Russia.

“I have not decided to send troops to Ukraine tomorrow, no,” he said.

“What we are considering instead is sending forces to guarantee peace once it has been negotiated,” he said.

Speaking to AFP earlier Feb 20, a French source familiar with the discussions said France was working with European countries to ensure security guarantees for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire agreement

Mr Macron threw his weight behind Mr Zelensky after Mr Trump

branded the 47-year-old Ukrainian leader a “dictator.”

Tensions between Mr Zelensky and Mr Trump have exploded this week in a series of escalating barbs traded in press conferences and on social media.

“He is a president elected in a free system,” Mr Macron said, referring to the Ukrainian president.

“This is not the case for Vladimir Putin, who has been killing his opponents and manipulating his elections for a long time.”

Alexei Navalny, the charismatic leader of the Russian opposition, died on Feb 16, 2024 in an Arctic penal colony in unclear circumstances. His family and supporters say his murder was sanctioned by the Kremlin.

Mr Macron said he planned to speak to Mr Zelensky later on Feb 20. AFP