London – The French president, Emmanuel Macron, used his visit to the US. To publicly withdraw the repeated attacks of Donald Trump against Ukraine, verify his American counterpart in real time and urge precaution in conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin .
During his joint appearance of the Oval office on Monday, Macron interrupted Trump when the latter said that Europe was returned 60% of the aid that contributed to Kyiv in the last three years of war.
Touching Trump’s arm to intervene, Macron said: “No, in fact, to be honest, we paid. We paid 60% of the total effort: it was through the United States, loans, guarantees, subsidies,” Macron said. “And we provide real money, to be clear.”
After Macron’s comments, Trump smiled and replied: “If you believe that, it’s fine for me.”
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the president of the United States, Donald Trump, meet at the White House in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2025.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
In a Fox News interview that was also issued on Monday, Macron warned Trump to “be careful” in the nascent Russia conversations in the United States aimed at ending the 3 -year war in Moscow, without the direct participation of Ukraine or European allies.
“I think the arrival of President Trump is a change of play,” Macron said. “And I think it has the capacity to dissipate the United States to forward with Russia.”
“We want peace,” the French president continued. “And I think the initiative of President Trump is very positive. But my message was to say that we are careful because we need something substantial for Ukraine.”
Trump’s repeated demands that kyiv pay US help since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, tense US ties with Ukraine and with its European allies.
The White House has framed its proposed agreement to ensure access to hundreds of billions of dollars in Ukrainian resources as part of Trump’s impulse to recover US war investment. Ukrainian officials said Monday that the agreement is close to being completed.
Trump said Monday that he will soon meet with Zelenskyy, indicating that the United States and Ukraine were “close” to an agreement that gave access to the United States to the profits of the valuable mineral resources of Ukraine and that Zelenskyy would come to Washington To sign it.
“I will meet with President Zelenskyy. In fact, he can come this week or next week to sign the agreement,” Trump said.
The president continued to focus on what he considers the unfair approach of Ukraine for American and American aid during the Russian War.
Trump again falsely said that the United States has given Ukraine $ 350 billion during this period, a figure publicly played by Zelenskyy. The Kiel Institute for the world economy estimates that the United States has committed around $ 119 billion. Most, $ 67 billion, was in the form of military team.
The Institute says that European nations, which means the European Union, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, have collectively contributed around $ 138 billion to Ukraine, of which military teams were.
President Donald Trump and the French president Emmanuel Macron shake hands at a joint press conference in the East of the White House in Washington, on February 24, 2025.
Katopodis/getty images
Alexandra Hutzler and Ellie Kaufman of ABC News contributed to this report.
