Macron and Trump’s Meeting: “A Turning Point” for U.S.-Europe Relations on Ukraine
United States President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Washington D.C. on February 24th to discuss a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia. Source: Brian Snyder / Reuters.
Three years after the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron met with United States President Donald Trump in Washington D.C. Macron became the first European president to meet with Trump since his reelection, building on years of cordial relations marked by friendly diplomacy between the US and Europe. Despite their warm reception, the growing gap between how the two leaders see the Russia-Ukraine conflict became clear.
A key takeaway from the meeting was how the two presidents perceive the role of Russia in the Russia-Ukraine war. Despite calling Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, a dictator the week prior, Trump refused to call Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, the same in this meeting. Many world leaders have been quick to call Putin a dictator, including Trudeau who criticized Putin for being a “lying, murderous dictator.” Trump has expressed his view of Russia as merely a “party to the conflict,” and it seems Trump’s relationship with Putin is growing more amiable. On the other hand, Macron was quick to call Russia “the aggressor” in this conflict and cautioned Trump about trusting Putin. Following his meeting with Trump, Macron also warned that Putin could invade Moldova and Romania if not confronted.
While Trump has been eager to work with Russia to make a peace deal, Macron warns that it is critical for involved nations to ensure that the deal “will be respected by Russia.” He also emphasized that the peace deal must not include Ukraine surrendering and that Trump “cannot be weak in the face of President Putin.” Trump sharply claimed in response that Macron and Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, “have done ‘nothing’ to try to end the Ukraine war over the past three years.”
The disagreements between Trump and Macron were also emphasized when Macron gently corrected Trump after he claimed that Europe was merely loaning money to Ukraine with the expectation of receiving repayment. Macron asserted that Europe has in fact paid “real money” to Ukraine with a payment structure similar to that of American aid, consisting of loans, guarantees, and grants.
Despite their disagreements, both leaders seemed to be pleased with the discussion. Trump praised the “tremendous unity” that was present in their meetings, and Macron called the discussions a “turning point,” with both presidents suggesting a peace deal could be reached relatively soon. Macron has previously said that the two world leaders “call each other several times a week” and experts praised Macron for his “conscious effort to appeal to Trump’s ego.” This act of diplomacy led to further agreements between Trump and Macron. Both emphasized the importance of peacemaking and finding an effective deal between Ukraine and Russia. Interestingly, both leaders supported the idea of a European peacekeeping force which would be used to broker peace in Ukraine after a deal has been reached. Trump is confident that Putin would also support this idea.
The topic of the economy manifested throughout much of the meeting. Macron seemed cautiously optimistic about the mineral deal between the United States and Ukraine, which would involve the United States having access to billions of dollars worth of rare minerals in Ukraine. Macron implied that the deal would be an effective way for the United States to commit to Ukrainian sovereignty. Additionally, Macron warned Trump of raising tariffs on European goods, claiming that it is against the interests of the United States to have a trade war with both China and Europe. Macron reminded Trump not to launch new tariffs, and insisted that the EU will reply “firmly and immediately” to any tariffs or other trade barriers imposed by the Trump Administration. True to his warning, in response to the US’s new tariffs, the EU quickly launched retaliatory tariffs on American products like steel and aluminum.
The recent meeting set the tone for how diplomacy may look in the next four years of the Trump presidency. Macron’s appeal to Trump’s style of leadership and focus on Trump’s emotion rather than rationality may advise other world leaders on how they must deal with the American president. This is especially evident after the recent clash between Trump and Zelensky that resulted in Zelensky leaving the White House without signing the minerals deal. Following the meeting between Trump and Macron, observers were left hopeful at the prospect of a peace deal that both Trump and Macron indicated could happen soon. However, the disagreements between the two leaders appear discouraging for leading a united front in ending the Russia-Ukraine war. No matter the impact of this meeting between Trump and Macron, one thing is for sure: it has shown that diplomacy for the United States looks starkly different in the new Trump era.