The National Times - Macron urges Trump to support Ukraine against 'aggressor' Russia

On the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, Trump and Macron dialed in together from the Oval Office to a call with the heads of the G7 leading economies and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Macron said the call was "perfect" and his initial talks with Trump -- with whom the French president formed a strong bond in the US leader's first term -- were "very friendly".

But ahead of a second, more formal meeting later at the White House, Macron shot down Trump's recent claims, echoing Russian President Vladimir Putin, that Kyiv had started the war.

"For three years, Ukraine has been fighting with admirable courage against an aggressor -- Russia. For sovereignty and freedom," Macron said on X.

"Our support for Ukraine will remain unwavering. I am in Washington to reaffirm this and to move forward with President Trump and our allies."

Both Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are at the White House this week as they hope to persuade Trump to stick by Kyiv and to include European leaders in talks between Moscow and Washington.

The French president last week said he would tell the Republican: "You cannot be weak in the face of President Putin."

- 'Russian threat' -

Trump sent shock waves around the world when he declared his readiness to resume diplomacy with Putin and to hold talks about the future of Ukraine without the involvement of European allies or Kyiv.

He has repeated Russian talking points about Ukraine's supposed responsibility in starting the war and slammed Zelensky as a "dictator," raising concern in Europe that he is siding with Moscow to end the conflict.

Trump's tone has also raised fears that the NATO military alliance and broader transatlantic ties stretching back 80 years to the aftermath of World War II are under threat.

Macron has tried to coordinate a European response to Washington's sudden policy shift -- hoping to use the bromance he has fostered with Trump, sealed with a series of macho handshakes which went viral over the years.

At their meeting later, the French leader will present his "proposals for action" to counter the "Russian threat," an advisor to the president said. They will also hold a joint press conference.

As he headed to Washington on Sunday, Macron said that Russia was an "existential threat to Europeans."

Macron is representing the European Union as a whole during his visit, after meeting leaders across the continent, including Moscow-friendly Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the presidential advisor said.

The French leader aims to persuade Trump to continue some US support for Ukraine, respecting its sovereignty and ensuring that European interests are fully considered, the advisor added.

- 'Security guarantees' -

Macron and Starmer, who will visit Trump on Thursday, coordinated on messaging prior to the French president's departure for the United States this weekend.

Trump however hit back, saying that both Macron and Starmer -- the leaders of Europe's two nuclear powers -- had done "nothing" to try to end the Ukraine war over the past three years.

Britain and France are discussing the deployment of European forces in Ukraine after a peace agreement is reached to deter Russia from future attacks.

"The idea is to deploy soldiers to a second line, not on the front line. This could be combined with a multinational operation, with non-European contingents," said a French source close to the discussions.

Macron and Starmer are expected to ask Trump to provide "solid security guarantees" for the deployed forces, and possibly logistics or intelligence.

US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told reporters on Monday that "we expect to talk quite a bit about the security guarantees that Macron has put on the table."

Trump and Macron would also discuss the thorny issue of trade with the European Union, with the US president threatening sweeping tariffs against the bloc, said Waltz.

N.Taylor--TNT