‘Peace must not mean surrendering Ukraine’, French President Macron says alongside Donald Trump

The French president Emmanuel Macron commended Donald Trump for his "decision to work with President Volodymyr) Zelensky.

Washington: Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to end it, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he and his American counterpart had made “substantive steps forward,” emphasizing their commitment to resolving the conflict and establishing peace between the two nations. However, he warned that peace would not be possible if Ukraine were forced to surrender, CNN reported. Notably, the Russia-Ukraine war has now entered its fourth year.

“This peace must not mean a surrender of Ukraine. It must not mean a ceasefire without guarantees. This peace must allow for Ukrainian sovereignty and allow Ukraine to negotiate with other stakeholders,” Macron said during a joint conference with US President Trump at the White House, CNN reported.

The French President praised the US leader for his, “decision to work with President (Volodymyr) Zelensky, and to conclude this agreement that’s so important for the US and Ukraine on rare earths and critical minerals, but also having substantive conversations with President Zelensky, doing this key phase of achieving this deal, which is a major commitment to Ukraine sovereignty.”

Macron expressed confidence potentially forward after discussions with President Trump, noting that they have aligned views on achieving enduring peace. Trump remarked that Macron likely shares his perspective on several critical matters, particularly that now is an opportune moment to conclude the conflict. Additionally, Trump mentioned that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might visit Washington either this week or next, as the two nations are nearing an agreement regarding a deal on rare earth minerals.

“I will be meeting with President Zelenskyy. He may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement and… which would be nice, I’d love to meet him. We’d meet at the Oval Office. So the agreements being worked on now. They’re very close to a final deal. It’ll be a deal with rare earths and various other things. And he would like to come, as I understand it, here, to sign it and that would be great with me,” Trump said during an Oval Office meeting with France’s President Emmanuel Macron.

Macron expressed confidence potentially forward after discussions with President Trump, noting that they have aligned views on achieving enduring peace. Trump remarked that Macron likely shares his perspective on several critical matters, particularly that now is an opportune moment to conclude the conflict. Additionally, Trump mentioned that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy might visit Washington either this week or next, as the two nations are nearing an agreement regarding a deal on rare earth minerals.

During the Oval Office meeting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent — who was in the room — added that an agreement is close, CNN reported.

“We are very close, one-yard line,” Bessent said.

Trump, with regards to Russia, said he would be open to an economic development partnership with Russia — but added that his first priority is ending the war in Ukraine, CNN reported.

Trump’s response came after he was asked about an earlier Truth Social post where he said he was in “serious discussions” with Russian President Vladimir Putin about “the ending of the War, and also major Economic Development transactions which will take place between the United States and Russia.”

Trump elaborated on his previous remarks during a discussion in the Oval Office, highlighting the significant presence of rare earth materials in a particular country, which he described as the largest in terms of land area. He noted the potential mutual benefits of collaboration, suggesting that both nations have valuable resources to offer each other, which could contribute positively to global peace and stability. In a separate development, Zelenskyy expressed admiration for the bravery of Ukrainians amid the ongoing conflict via a post on X. Additionally, Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, made a visit to Kyiv to mark the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

(with ANI inputs)