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French President Emmanuel Macron has decided to personally mediate the resumption of dialogue between Ukraine and the United States after the high-profile quarrel between Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Donald Trump in the Oval Office on 28 February. The French leader said this in a commentary for La Tribune, calling the meeting “a press conference that did not go according to plan.”
“It’s time to return to calm”
Despite the tensions during the talks, Macron does not consider the incident to be a breakdown in relations between Kyiv and Washington:
“After the anger, everyone needs to return to calm, respect and acceptance, because the stakes are too high.”
He noted that he sees this as his new mission. After the scandal, Macron personally called both Zelenskyy and Trump to smooth things over:
«Ці питання потрібно обговорювати стратегічно і конфіденційно, а не перед камерами».Zelenskyy is ready for dialogue
According to La Tribune, during his conversation with Macron, Zelenskyy expressed his readiness to resume dialogue with the United States, in particular on joint projects in the mineral sector. In his interview with Fox News, he also thanked the United States several times for its support.
“The US refusal is a strategic mistake”
Macron is convinced that America cannot afford to distance itself from Ukraine:
“What the United States has done over the past three years is fully in line with its diplomatic and military tradition. It is not in their interests to abandon Ukraine.”
The French leader criticised Trump’s desire to conclude a quick truce with Putin, warning that peace without guarantees for Ukraine would destroy the US authority as a global deterrent to Russia, China and others.
“We all want peace. But there can be no just and lasting peace if Ukraine is left to its own devices,” Macron said.
European troops in Ukraine?
Macron also confirmed that he supports British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s idea of a possible deployment of European troops to Ukraine to provide security guarantees.
Meanwhile, global support for Kyiv is growing. After the conflict in the White House, Zelenskyy was supported by US Democratic Party senators, influential politicians, celebrities, and American society.
And today, an important summit starts in London to discuss further military assistance to Ukraine and strategies for achieving a stable peace.
