French President Emmanuel Macron called the next 15 days “critical” and welcomed US President Donald Trump’s intention to provide security guarantees for Ukraine.
In an interview with the public broadcaster LCI published on August 19, he said that in the next few weeks, everything possible should be done to ensure that a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin takes place. “Then, according to the plan, a trilateral summit could take place in early September,” Macron added.
“But there is work to be done on security guarantees. Therefore, the next 15 days are absolutely critical. To finalize the work with the Americans to give content to the security guarantees. But first of all, we are going to eliminate ambiguities,” the French president said.
The specific content of the security guarantees is currently unknown, although Macron said that “the British, French, Germans, Turks and others are ready to carry out operations – not on the front line, not provocatively, but support operations in the air, at sea and on land.” At the same time, he warned that Russia is a destabilizing force, and President Vladimir Putin “has rarely kept his commitments.”
“One thing I know is that since the end of 2007-2008, President Putin has rarely honored his commitments. He has always been a destabilizing force and has sought to redraw borders to expand his power,” the French president said.
“It is a predator, it is a cannibal at our gates. I’m not saying that tomorrow there will be an attack (by Russia – IF-U) on France, but in the end, it is a threat to Europeans,” Macron said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the US decision to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine and stressed that such guarantees must provide protection on land, in the air, and at sea.
“It is a historic decision that the United States is ready to participate in security guarantees for Ukraine. The security guarantees resulting from our joint work must be truly practical and provide protection on land, in the air, and at sea, and must be developed with the participation of Europe,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram following the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Brussels on Sunday.
He called the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing “very useful.” “Clear support for Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty. Everyone agrees that state borders should not be changed by force. Everyone supports that key issues should be resolved with Ukraine’s participation in a trilateral format: Ukraine, the US, and the Russian leader,” the US president wrote.
Also, according to Zelensky, the parties are developing a common view on “what a peace agreement should look like — truly honest, quick, and one that will work.”
According to the press service of the Ukrainian president, this was the seventh meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. It was co-chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The meeting was also attended by the presidents of Finland, Alexander Stubb; Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda; Romania, Nicușor Dăncilă; Cyprus, Nicos Christodoulides; the prime ministers of Japan, Suga Yoshihide; Italy, Giorgia Meloni; Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre; Denmark, Mette Frederiksen; Estonia’s Kirsti Mikhal, Canada’s Mark Carney, Ireland’s Micheál Martin, Latvia’s Evika Silina, Australia’s Anthony Albanese, Luxembourg’s Luc Frieden, the Netherlands’ Dick Schoo, Portugal’s Luis Montenegro, Croatia’s Andrej Plenković, Sweden’s Ulf Kristersson, Belgium’s Bart De Wever, Bulgaria’s Rosen Zhelyazkov, the Czech Republic’s Petr Fiala, Iceland’s Kristrún Frostaðóttir, Montenegro Milojko Spajic, Chancellor of Austria Christian Scholz, Vice President of Turkey Cevdet Yılmaz, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Council António Costa, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radosław Sikorski.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that without security guarantees, the economic agreement with the United States on rare earth metals will not work.
“If we do not receive security guarantees from the United States, I believe that the economic agreement will not work. Everything must be honest,” Zelensky said in an interview with NBC News.
The President of Ukraine made it clear that any deal involving Ukrainian minerals must be accompanied by security guarantees from the United States.
“We looked at what America imports, what rare earth metals, what America imports for its industry. And when we took titanium as an example, we say that we have titanium in Ukraine, and this is accurate information. And it’s enough for the industry for 40 years,” he said.
“Help us protect it, and we will make money on it together,” Zelenskyy said.
For its part, the United States called Ukraine’s position short-sighted, the Associated Press reports.
White House National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes said in a statement that “President Zelensky is short-sighted in his assessment of the great opportunity the Trump administration has provided to Ukraine.”
Hughes said that the minerals deal would allow U.S. taxpayers to “recoup” money sent to Kyiv while also helping to develop Ukraine’s economy.
Hughes added that the White House believes that “binding economic ties with the United States will be the best safeguard against future aggression and an integral part of a lasting peace.” He added: “The United States recognizes this, the Russians recognize this, and Ukrainians should recognize this,” AR writes.
Ukraine wants to attract American investors in strategic industries and get strong security guarantees, including from the United States, the head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, wrote in his Telegram channel on Sunday.
“The main message of President Vladimir Zelensky is that the situation in the world requires Europe’s strength and unity to be able to respond to any challenges. In addition, during meetings in Munich with U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance and other American officials, Ukraine received commitments of continued support and political will to achieve sustainable peace,” Yermak said.
He also noted that the president has made it clear that any plans prepared without Ukraine are unacceptable.
“Security guarantees must be strong, effective and real, and include the United States,” Yermak concluded.
Andriy Yermak, SECURITY GUARANTEES, STRATEGIC INDUSTRIES, US investorsi
So far, none of the allies has provided their vision of security guarantees for Ukraine, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said.
“I did not raise the issue of security guarantees at the meeting, because we know exactly the list of allies that we see as potential security guarantors with whom we are negotiating on a bilateral basis. But in my bilateral meetings here, we raise and discuss this issue with them. They receive a better understanding of what we want. But we are still discussing. None of them have given us their vision of security guarantees at the moment,” Kuleba said at a press conference after attending a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday.
Advisors to the leaders of 7 countries, including the United States, Great Britain, Turkey, Poland, Germany, France and Israel, are ready to discuss a list of security guarantees for Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
“The meeting will definitely take place, because it was confirmed by representatives of the guarantor countries. Of the future. This applies to the United States, Great Britain, Turkey, Poland, Germany, France, Israel. These are not all guarantors, but I named those countries that are already ready to come and discuss a list of security guarantees,” Zelensky said in an interview with the Turkish Haberturk TV channel.
He stressed that it is important for Ukraine to know what kind of guarantees these countries are willing to accept.
“They have different views. Some of them are ready for anything, for full support. And some not for full support. Therefore, we need a joint meeting with these countries at the level of advisers who will talk about a future document – guarantees of our sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity “, – he said, adding that, “when Ukraine is satisfied with everything in the document, a meeting with the Russian side will take place.”
The head of state also noted that a meeting with the advisers of these 7 countries should be held in the near future. “And then – just as quickly – with Russia, because there is a war going on in Ukraine,” he added.
