Macron asserts that peace talks with Russia can only be negotiated by Zelensky

Emmanuel Macron warns against giving up and maintains that only Zelensky can negotiate peace with Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron has cautioned that any peace deal that amounts to capitulation would be harmful to everyone, including the United States, and reiterated that only Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has the right to negotiate a settlement with Russia to stop the war. In an interview with the Financial Times on Thursday, Macron said these things.

Whether President Putin is truly, sustainably, and convincingly prepared to accept a ceasefire on this premise is the sole question at this point. Negotiations with Russia are thereafter up to the Ukrainians,” Macron said from the Elysee Palace.

His remarks coincide with US President Donald Trump’s separate meetings with Putin and Zelensky on Wednesday, during which he directed US diplomats to begin negotiations to put an end to the war that has lasted for almost three years. Ukrainians are concerned about this development because they believe Trump may negotiate a deal that would be detrimental to their nation.

Trump subsequently reaffirmed Ukraine’s role in determining its own destiny by telling reporters at the White House that the nation will be represented at the negotiating table.

But in Brussels, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had already informed Ukraine’s partners that NATO membership for Kyiv was not seen as a workable option and that returning Ukraine to its pre-2014 boundaries was impractical.

Macron said that “everyone has to play their role” and that Trump’s involvement has opened a “window of opportunity” for a negotiated conclusion. He emphasized that the international community, especially Europe, plays a critical role in forming the region’s larger security framework, even if Zelenskiy must take the lead in talks over Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial issues.

Macron urged European countries to improve their defense capabilities and lessen their reliance on US security guarantees, calling Trump’s electoral comeback a “electroshock” for the continent. He reaffirmed that Europe must build a completely integrated industrial, technical, and defense backbone.

Macron issued a further warning against the forcible deportation of Gazans, describing it as “extremely dangerous” and comparing it to the “extreme strategic uncertainty” that the world is presently dealing with. His remarks come after Trump’s contentious plan to uproot Gaza’s citizens and turn the war-torn region into what he called a “Riviera of the Middle East.” Trump has also indicated interest in purchasing Greenland and the Panama Canal, which has increased worries about world instability.

Speaking with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in January, Macron emphasized that Europe’s responsibility to safeguard its own future was more important than ever. He stated that “Europeans and our two countries (France and Germany) must play their role of consolidating a united, strong, and sovereign Europe more than ever after the inauguration of a new administration in the United States.”

Macron’s remarks underscore Europe’s growing need to demonstrate its independence in both defense and diplomacy while aiding Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression as global tensions continue to shift.