French President Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump sought to smooth over a transatlantic rift on Ukraine on Monday, with the US president eyeing a deal to end Russia’s invasion “within weeks” backed by European peacekeepers.
Hosting Macron at the White House on the third anniversary of the Russian invasion, Trump also said he expected Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky to visit this week or next, to sign a deal giving Washington access to Kyiv’s minerals.
Trump hailed Macron as a “very special man” as they shared one of their trademark macho handshakes in the Oval Office – with the French president seeking to use his ties with Trump to shore up support for Ukraine.
“I think we could end it within weeks – if we’re smart. If we’re not smart, it will keep going,” Trump said.
The US president added that Russian President Vladimir Putin was ready to “accept” European troops deployed in Ukraine as guarantors of a deal to end fighting.
Macron said both leaders wanted a “solid long lasting peace”, proclaimed that Europe was ready to “step up” defence spending and reiterated that Europe was ready to deploy peacekeepers.
