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Emmanuel Macron says 'capitulation' in Russia-Ukraine war would be 'bad news for everyone'

Earlier Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was “not very pleasant” that Trump had spoken with Putin first.

LAST UPDATE | 14 Feb

FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL Macron warned against peace in Ukraine that would amount to “capitulation” in an interview with the Financial Times published today.

“Peace that is a capitulation” would be “bad news for everyone”, he said shortly after US President Donald Trump rattled Washington’s NATO allies by speaking with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about holding talks on Ukraine.

Trump yesterday announced plans to begin negotiations, saying he thought Putin “wants peace” in Ukraine and “would tell me if he didn’t”.

Macron told the FT it would be up to Ukraine to discuss issues of territory and sovereignty but added that Europe has a role to play in regional security.

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 a role to play,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is set to meet US Vice President JD Vance at a security conference in Germany today, as Kyiv and its European allies worry Washington and Moscow will settle the Ukraine war over their heads. Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris are both also attending the conference today.

The important meeting of world leaders is being held after an Afghan asylum seeker was arrested after a suspected car ramming attack injured at least 30 people in the southern German city yesterday.

Ukraine position 

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy yesterday said he wants to agree a position with the US to “stop Putin” before holding talks with Russia.

The comments came after Trump held a long phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and said the sides had agreed to begin negotiations on Ukraine immediately.

“The Ukraine-America meetings are a priority for us,” said Zelenskyy, speaking about the conference in Munich.

“And only after such meetings, after a plan to stop Putin has been worked out, I think it is fair to talk to the Russians.”

Trump also spoke with Zelenskyy in a call that the Ukrainian leader had described as “meaningful” and broad.

But he said today while he believed Ukraine was Trump’s priority, it was “not very pleasant” that the US leader had spoken with Putin first.

The Ukrainian leader also said that Trump had told him he had wanted to speak with both Putin and Zelenskyy at the same time, without elaborating on why that had not happened.

Zelenskyy also said he had told Trump that without security guarantees Russia was likely to attack Ukraine again. Trump said later in the day that Ukraine will be “part of” negotiations on ending Russia’s brutal three-year-old war in Ukraine.

The US president also said that he would “love” to have Russia rejoin the G7.

Trump said this evening that “high-level” officials from the US and Russia are planning to meet at a security conference in Munich tomorrow and that Ukraine was “also invited”.

However, an advisor to Zelenskyy told reporters that discussions between Ukraine and Russia are “not envisaged” at the moment and that “Ukraine must first speak with America” before engaging with Russia.

© AFP 2025

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