French President Emmanuel Macron said that only his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky could negotiate on behalf of his country with Russia to end the war. He warned that "peace that is capitulation" would be "bad news for everyone", including the United States. He said this in an interview with the Financial Times, quoted by "Reuters".
"The only question at this stage is whether President Putin is really willing to agree to a ceasefire under these conditions. "Then it's up to the Ukrainians to negotiate with Russia," Macron said.
Macron told the Financial Times that Trump had created a "window of opportunity" for a negotiated solution where "everyone must play their part", adding that it is now up to Zelensky to discuss territorial and sovereignty issues.
Similar statements have been made by other European leaders.
Macron described Trump's return as an "electroshock" that should force Europe to secure its own future, as well as Ukraine's, the Financial Times report added.
U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the war separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky and ordered U.S. officials to begin talks to end the nearly three-year conflict.
The phone calls came shortly after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Ukraine's military allies in Brussels that a return to Ukraine's pre-2014 borders - before Russia annexed Crimea - is unrealistic and that the US does not see Kiev's NATO membership as part of the solution.
Ukrainians worried that Trump was preparing to sell out their country after his phone call with Putin.
Trump said a day later that Ukraine would have a seat at the table during any peace talks with Russia to end the war.
He said that "it is up to the international community, with a specific role for the Europeans, to discuss security guarantees and, more broadly, the security framework for the entire region. That is where we have to play a role."