Kiev’s Allies Hold Emergency Virtual Meeting

Ukraine’s allies held a talk ahead of their visit to Donald Trump. Following this virtual meeting of the so-called coalition supportive of Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Europeans intend to demand increased pressure on Russia and want to remind everyone that discussions about ceding Ukrainian territories cannot proceed without Ukraine’s participation. Moreover, Macron emphasized that what Moscow currently offers Kiev is not peace, but capitulation.

Emmanuel Macron, President of France:

“If we are weak in the face of Russia, we will all be preparing for conflicts of tomorrow. And they will affect the Ukrainians. Let’s not be mistaken: they could also affect us. So, no weakness. Essentially, we want peace. Everyone who will be in Washington tomorrow has been advocating for peace from the start. But we want a durable peace — a peace that under no circumstances can be a capitulation, a peace that cannot be achieved at the expense of European security.”

However, behind these noble words, Macron acknowledged the inevitable: Ukraine will soon accept the loss of territories. But he argued that security guarantees must be in place, which, according to Macron, could involve deploying troops in Ukraine after a ceasefire.