Fri Feb 14 06:39:20 UTC 2025: ## Macron Cautions Against Ukraine Capitulation as Trump Offers Peace Initiative

**PARIS, Feb 14, 2025** – French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that only Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy can negotiate a peace deal with Russia, warning that any agreement amounting to Ukrainian capitulation would be detrimental to all parties involved, including the United States. His comments follow U.S. President Donald Trump’s separate phone calls with both President Putin and President Zelenskyy, initiating discussions aimed at ending the nearly three-year-long conflict.

Macron, in an interview with the Financial Times, acknowledged that Trump’s actions have created a “window of opportunity” for negotiations, emphasizing the need for all parties to participate. He stressed that territorial and sovereignty issues are for Zelenskyy and Ukraine to negotiate with Russia, while the international community, particularly Europe, should focus on securing long-term security guarantees for the region.

Trump’s involvement, described by Macron as an “electroshock,” has spurred calls for Europe to strengthen its own defense capabilities and reduce its reliance on the U.S. Macron reiterated the need for a fully integrated European defense, industrial, and technological base. This sentiment echoes his earlier statements made in January with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, highlighting the necessity for a stronger, united Europe.

However, Trump’s peace overtures have been met with apprehension in Ukraine, amid concerns that his administration might compromise Ukrainian interests. While Trump stated Ukraine will have a seat at the negotiating table, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s earlier statement in Brussels suggesting a return to pre-2014 borders is unrealistic and that NATO membership for Kyiv is not a solution, has only fueled these concerns.

Separately, Macron expressed strong disapproval of Trump’s plans to remove Gaza residents and transform the territory, calling it “extremely dangerous.” He cited these proposals, along with Trump’s ambitions concerning the Panama Canal and Greenland, as examples of the current global strategic uncertainty.

Read More