War in Ukraine: Zelensky and Macron in Washington Monday after the Trump-Putin meeting

Following Vladimir Putin's meeting with Donald Trump, the Ukrainian leader will travel to Washington on Monday. He will be joined by several European leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

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The German Chancellor invited the US President and his Vice President, J.D. Vance, to a video conference on Wednesday, August 13, alongside Italy, France, England, Poland, and Finland, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The objectives of this discussion were clear: to convince Donald Trump and his Vice President, J.D. Vance, to defend Ukraine's interests at Friday's meeting, which Volodymyr Zelensky will not attend. He fears that the US and Russian presidents will force Ukraine to cede portions of its territory. These consultations were deemed "insignificant" by Russian diplomacy on Wednesday.

Following his two meetings with Volodymyr Zelensky and Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron spoke to the press from Fort Brégançon. "We want everything concerning Ukraine to be discussed with Ukraine. We want a robust and lasting peace, a peace that resolves territorial issues and security guarantees for the future." He explained that this meeting had clarified the American president's intentions and shared French expectations. Donald Trump had indeed remained vague about his expectations for Friday's meeting, the first between the two powers since 2021. He said he hoped for a "constructive" discussion and considered it "very respectful" of his Russian counterpart to travel to Alaska, an American territory. The President of the United States was planning territorial exchanges, while the Russian army currently occupies approximately 20% of Ukrainian territory, reports the media 20Minutes.

"The American will is to obtain a ceasefire"

According to Emmanuel Macron, "the American desire is to obtain a ceasefire" following the meeting with Vladimir Putin on August 15. "We support this initiative, along with prisoner exchanges and the release of children," Emmanuel Macron affirmed. Furthermore, "territorial issues that fall under Ukraine cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the Ukrainian president," the French president declared. Donald Trump had said he was "a little upset" by Zelensky's statement that he must obtain constitutional authorization to cede territory.

Lately, the link between territorial concessions and the security guarantees that will be provided to Ukraine must continue to exist, according to Emmanuel Macron. This security guarantee cannot be NATO, a "strong point" for the Russian side. Alongside Friedrich Merz, the Ukrainian president emphasized European unity as well as "very intensive" coordination with the continent's leaders. He supported the idea of a follow-up tripartite meeting with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Emmanuel Macron hopes that this meeting "can be held in Europe in a neutral country that is accepted by all parties."

"The ball is now in Putin's court"

As Moscow made its largest 24-hour advance into Ukrainian territory in over a year on Tuesday, Moscow had demanded that kyiv cede four partially occupied regions (Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson), in addition to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. Russia had also demanded that Volodymyr Zelensky renounce Western arms deliveries and any NATO membership. These demands were deemed unacceptable by Ukraine, which is demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops and Western security guarantees, including continued arms deliveries and the deployment of a European contingent.

Asked about a possible change in his position on territorial concessions, the Ukrainian president stated that it remained unchanged and could not change, as the Ukrainian Constitution remained the same. "Any issue concerning the territorial integrity of our country cannot be discussed without taking into account our people, the will of our people, and the Ukrainian Constitution."

During the press conference, the German Chancellor also reiterated the priority of a ceasefire: "A ceasefire must be the priority [...] We Europeans are therefore doing everything in our power to steer this meeting in the right direction," he declared, referring to the meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin that will take place on Friday, August 15 in Alaska. He then reaffirmed that Ukraine, through its president, must be present at the negotiations: Ukraine "must be at the table" of the negotiations. Finally, he refused any concessions of territorial recognition from Ukraine: "There is no question of legally recognizing the territories occupied by Russia."

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte responded to the meeting with Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky on X. He called the exchange a "very good call" and emphasized "NATO's unity to end this terrible war against Ukraine and achieve a just and lasting peace. I appreciate [Donald Trump's] leadership and close coordination with allies. The ball is now in Putin's court."