President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron sought to project unity during a White House meeting on Monday, even as cracks opened further in the alliance between the U.S. and Europe over the path forward in Ukraine.
The two met at the Oval Office as the U.S. at the United Nations in New York voted against a resolution condemning Russia as the aggressor on the third anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
In doing so, the U.S. joined Russia and 16 other countries, including North Korea, Syria and Belarus as well as Israel and Hungary, while standing against longtime allies such as France, Germany, Great Britain and Canada.
Trump, who in the last two weeks has blamed Ukraine for triggering a war against its invader and called that country’s president Volodomyr Zelensky a dictator, said he would rather not explain the rationale behind the vote when asked about it in the Oval Office, saying it was “self-evident.”
Meanwhile, he and Macron for the most part sought to project a warm and friendly relationship, putting on the smiles amidst hand-shakes and ribbing.
Macron, during a joint press conference, highlighted the need for European nations to shoulder more of a security burden on their own continent, something Trump has long complained about.
He focused much on his remarks calling for security guarantees for Ukraine, to include peace keeping forces provided by Europe, and said this was a shared area of agreement with Trump.
“That’s a turning point, in my view,” Macron said, “and that is one of the great areas of progress that we’ve made during this trip and during this discussion.”
Trump, who campaigned on ending the war, pressed for a ceasefire and repeatedly noted his administration is talking not only with western Europe and Ukraine, but with Russia.
“It’s time to end this bloodletting and restore peace. We’ve had some great conversations, including with Russia,” Trump said.
Trump said Macron “agrees with me on many of the most important issues, chief among them is, this is the right time. It may be the only time… [to end the war].”
The president also indicated a deal was imminent for the U.S. to gain access to critical minerals in Ukraine. U.S. officials have suggested the deal would benefit Ukraine because it would create a greater incentive for the U.S. to provide security guarantees for Kyiv.
Trump continued to cast his efforts as a huge break from the Biden administration, which he has repeatedly blamed for not ending the war.
“My administration is making a decisive break with the foreign policy values of the past administration, and frankly the past,” Trump said. “I ran against a very foolish foreign policy establishment and their recklessness has led to the death of many, many people.”
The possibility that Trump and the U.S. could withdraw support from Ukraine has provoked great worries in Europe, but Macron for the most part in public on Monday did not put any disagreements on view.
He said there is “good reason for Trump to reengage with Putin,” but said he cut off his own discussions with the Russian leader after the revelation of mass civilian killings by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Bucha in April 2022.
“I considered we had nothing to get from him at the time,” Macron said.
“Now this is a chance, there is a big change, because there is a new US administration. So this is a new context. So there is good reason for President Trump to re engage with President Putin.”
But Macron pushed back at one point during an Oval Office meeting with Trump, interjecting to contest the U.S president’s claim that Europe was just “loaning” money to Ukraine.
“No, in fact, to be frank, we paid. We paid 60 percent of the total effort,” Macron said.
As of the end of fiscal year 2024, Congress had approved nearly $183 billion in Ukraine aid, according to a federal government oversight office. The European Union has contributed roughly $145 billion in total assistance to Ukraine since the war began.
Macron has sought to take a leading role in organizing Europe’s path forward in pushing back against Russian aggression in light of Trump’s abrupt shift in policy. He organized meetings in Paris last week with European leaders as Trump publicly attacked Zelensky.
The French president said Monday that his team will work with Trump officials in the weeks to come “to make sure we have this solid lasting peace, with great strength.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to visit the White House on Thursday.
