French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday expressed support for Donald Trump’s efforts to re-engage with Russia over Ukraine but stressed the need for U.S. backing of any European troop deployment as a security guarantee.
“We want a quick deal, but not a fragile one,” Macron said during a joint press conference at the White House.
Macron previously traveled to Moscow weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 in a failed attempt to dissuade President Vladimir Putin. Like then-U.S. President Joe Biden, he later cut off contact with the Russian leader.
With a new U.S. administration now in place, Macron acknowledged a shift in diplomatic strategy.
“There is good reason for President Trump to re-engage with President Putin,” he said.
However, Macron pointed to Europe’s past experiences negotiating peace with Russia, referencing the 2014 agreements that ultimately failed due to a lack of firm security guarantees.
“In 2014, our predecessors negotiated peace with President Putin, but due to the absence of strong guarantees—especially security guarantees—he violated that peace,” Macron said.
“This is why strength and deterrence are the only ways to ensure agreements are upheld,” he added.
Macron, who has considered sending French troops to Ukraine to maintain stability, emphasized the importance of U.S. involvement in any European-led security effort.
“Many of my European colleagues are willing to engage, but we need American support to uphold the credibility of these security guarantees,” he said.
Both Trump and Biden have ruled out sending U.S. troops to Ukraine, with Trump instead advocating for Kyiv to agree to a deal granting the U.S. access to Ukraine’s mineral resources.
Macron cautioned against taking military options off the table too soon.
“I think we should never say, ‘I will never send boots on the ground,’ because that gives a blank check for any commitment to be violated,” he warned