Ukrainians must hold realistic talks on territorial issues to find a solution to the conflict sparked by the Russian invasion, French President Emmanuel Macron said today, quoted by Agence France-Presse, BTA reported.
"Ukrainians must hold realistic discussions on territorial issues, and only they can lead them," Macron said in a speech to French ambassadors posted around the world, whom he met today at the Elysee Palace.
Macron's statement comes against the backdrop of unfavorable circumstances on the ground for Kiev - at a time when Russia, which has conquered about 20% of Ukraine. In addition, Moscow is increasing the occupied Ukrainian territory in the east of the country, AFP notes.
Europeans will have to build guarantees for Ukraine's security, the French president also said. "The United States must help us change the nature of the situation and convince Russia to sit at the negotiating table," he added.
Macron stressed that the new US President Donald Trump himself knows that the US has no chance of winning anything if Ukraine loses. According to Macron, the capitulation of Ukraine would not be good for Europeans and Americans. The French president believes that trust in the West would be shattered if a compromise was reached due to conflict fatigue.
There will be no quick and easy solution in Ukraine, Macron warned, as the large-scale conflict provoked by Russia in February 2022 enters its fourth year. Trump's return to the White House, after promising to end the war quickly without specifying how, has fueled weeks of speculation about the terms of future peace talks.
Kyiv hopes for decisive action from Trump, but also fears that American support could wane, as the president-elect has repeatedly criticized the financial scale of US aid to Ukraine.
Russia has accelerated its advance in eastern Ukraine, achieving its most significant battlefield successes in late 2024, which are comparable only to the first weeks of the invasion. For its part, the Kremlin has rejected the idea of a ceasefire. Russia demands that Ukraine lay down its arms, cede four partially occupied regions by Russians, in addition to the annexation of Crimea in 2014, and renounce its membership in NATO. These conditions are unacceptable to Kiev, recalls AFP.