Macron confirms what he wants to say to Trump when he visits US next week

The Ukraine war, EU and US relations and the wider geopolitical situation will be raised by President Emmanuel Macron during his meeting with President Donald Trump next week in Washington.

Mr Macron will meet the US president on Monday (February 24) prior to the meeting between UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Mr Trump on Thursday (February 27),  amid rising tensions between Europe and the United States.  

During a live broadcast on his social media channels earlier this week, Mr Macron said he will talk to his US counterpart on issues surrounding Russia and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, along with the USA and EU’s increasingly divergent policy positions. 

Ukraine top of list 

“I'm going to tell him [Donald Trump]: if you let Ukraine fall, Russia will be unstoppable for Europeans, for everyone,” said the French president.

“Not only will Russia be even stronger… but it will take back Ukraine and its army, which is one of the biggest in Europe, with all our equipment, including American equipment,” he added. 

Mr Macron remains confident that the rapid shift in viewpoint from the White House on the War in Ukraine – American diplomats have recently met with Russian counterparts to begin peace talks, excluding Ukraine and the EU – could prove "good" for Ukraine. 

The uncertainty caused by Mr Trump’s rhetoric, particularly on the global stage, should be used to unsettle Russian president Vladimir Putin, he added.

“Donald Trump is coming in with a new administration and the Russian President is watching him, he doesn't know what he's going to do… This uncertainty is good for us and for Ukraine.”

Mr Macron does not believe the US president wishes to ‘sacrifice’ Ukraine, but points out that recent comments have “created uncertainty for all [Ukraine’s] allies.” 

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Defence of Ukrainian president 

The French president is also planning to hold Mr Trump to account over recent comments about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Mr Trump recently called his Ukrainian counterpart a ‘dictator’ citing the lack of elections since he came to power in 2019.

Elections were nominally scheduled for May 2024, but cancelled by Mr Zelensky due to the war – a move backed by all major parties in the country. 

“He is an elected president of a free system. That's not the case with Vladimir Putin, who has been killing his opponents and manipulating his elections for a long time,” said Mr Macron.

“Do you think he can organise elections… in a country where several million Ukrainians have fled for their safety, where he has mobilised several million others to the front, where there are 1,000 dead and wounded every day and where a whole swathe of his territory has been conquered by Russia?” he added.

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Focus on global politics

“It's not you, it's not your trademark, it's not in your interest [to act this way]. How can you be credible in the face of China if you are weak in the face of Putin?” Mr Macron said.

“If you don't want Iran to acquire a nuclear bomb, you can't be weak with someone who is helping them to do it,” he added.

“If you don't want China to challenge Taiwan and so on, how can you explain that China does not have the right to invade Taiwan and that Russia would have the right to invade Ukraine?” 

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Strong relationship between Europe and the US 

Mr Macron also announced he will attempt to quell rising tensions between the EU and US, who are strong allies not just economically but militarily. 

“It is in [Mr Trump’s] interest to work with the Europeans at this time because Europe has a capacity for growth, along with economic potential for cooperation with the Americans.” 

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