"There is a risk that this ceasefire will end up like the Minsk agreements" – Macron stresses need for strong security guarantees for Ukraine
Photo: EPA/UPG
French President Emmanuel Macron shared his impressions of the Paris emergency summit and said he had spoken with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky afterward.
The French leader wrote about this on his X (Twitter).
Macron noted that after the meeting with the leaders of European states and the leadership of the European Union, which he convened in Paris, he had separate conversations with Trump and Zelensky.
"We seek a strong and lasting peace in Ukraine. To achieve this, Russia must end its aggression, and this must be accompanied by strong and credible security guarantees for the Ukrainians. Otherwise, there is a risk that this ceasefire will end up like the Minsk agreements," the French president noted.
Macron highlighted that France, in collaboration with Europeans, Americans, and Ukrainians, will focus on this effort, underscoring its importance as a key priority.
As the French president noted, the leaders are convinced that Europe should:
- invest more in its defense,
- increase competitiveness for the needs of the present and the future.
"Work will continue based on the European Commission's proposals, both in supporting Ukraine and in developing and investing in our defense. This agenda, defined in 2022 at the Versailles Summit, must simply be carried out. Decisions, actions, coherence. Quickly," Macron noted.
For reference:
On February 17, French President Emmanuel Macron convened an emergency summit in Paris with European leaders to address the challenges Donald Trump's presidency posed.
Ukrainian diplomatic sources informed the agency that President Volodymyr Zelensky would not attend the upcoming meeting, which would be conducted in the "Weimar Triangle ++" format, including France, Germany, Poland, and several other European countries.
Notably, US Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a speech at the Munich Security Conference, where he criticized the European Union for abandoning the "fundamental values" of democracy, citing the cancellation of elections in Romania and "restricting freedom of speech." Vance also stated that European security faces no threat from Russia, China, or any other external actor, expressing concern about a threat from within.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius called US Vice President J.D. Vance's comments on comparing European and German democracy, in particular, with an authoritarian regime "unacceptable."
However, US Special Representative for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg stated at the 8th Ukrainian Luncheon on the occasion of the Munich Security Conference that the Europeans failed when they ensured the peace process within the framework of the Minsk agreements, so the United States is unlikely to involve them in the peace process in Ukraine directly.
