President Trump hosted French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House amid rising tensions regarding the Atlantic alliance and peace talks with Russia, coinciding with the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Their vigorous handshake mirrored past encounters, leading to an Oval Office meeting ahead of a joint news conference. Trump, who has recently blamed Ukraine for the invasion, avoided labeling Putin as a dictator, suggesting he might visit Moscow if peace is achieved. He emphasized Ukraine should repay U.S. military aid through mineral rights. Relations with European allies are strained, prompting Macron to seek collaborative strategies for addressing American unpredictability.
President Trump greeted French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House on Monday, coinciding with increasing tensions regarding the future of the Atlantic alliance and stalled peace negotiations with Russia that have excluded Ukrainian and European leaders.
As Mr. Trump welcomed Mr. Macron at the West Wing’s entrance, the two shared a robust handshake, both seemingly focused on establishing a sense of masculine dominance, reminiscent of their interactions during Mr. Trump’s first term. They then proceeded to a meeting in the Oval Office ahead of a joint news conference set for 2 p.m. Eastern.
This meeting took place on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an event Mr. Trump has recently attributed to Kyiv rather than Moscow. While other global leaders expressed solidarity with Ukraine by spending time in Kyiv, Mr. Trump took part in a video call with fellow Group of 7 leaders, releasing a statement that refrained from criticizing Russia for its aggression against its smaller neighbor.
During a conversation with reporters in the Oval Office alongside Mr. Macron, Mr. Trump chose not to label Russian President Vladimir V. Putin a dictator, despite having used the term last week to describe Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s democratically elected leader. “I don’t use those words lightly,” Mr. Trump remarked.
He mentioned a potential trip to Moscow if a peace agreement is established, which would mark him as the first American president to visit Russia in over a decade and would be considered advantageous for Mr. Putin, who is under an international arrest warrant for war crimes.
Mr. Trump, who had previously claimed he could end the war in 24 hours or before his inauguration during his campaign, asserted that hostilities could cease “within weeks, if we’re smart.” He warned: “If we’re not smart, it will continue, and we will lose young, beautiful people.”
The president reiterated his requirement for Ukraine to transfer rights to hundreds of billions of dollars in mineral resources as a means to repay U.S. military aid. “It was a lot of money, and we had nothing to show for it,” he stated. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent conveyed that U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators were “very close,” at the “one-yard line.”
Mr. Trump’s resurgence has disrupted ties with European allies as he threatens to impose tariffs on their products, insists on increased military expenditures beyond prior targets, and diverges on Ukraine. Tensions were heightened by Vice President JD Vance’s Munich speech, suggesting that the largest security risk faced by European nations stems not from Russia or China, but from their own political and cultural strategies.
In response, Mr. Macron has convened two meetings of European leaders to devise a strategy for navigating an America that can no longer be deemed a reliable ally, with hopes of using his visit to strengthen Mr. Trump in the negotiations concerning Ukraine’s future.