Macron reveals Europe's role in future talks with Russia
Photo: Emmanuel Macron, President of France (Getty Images)
Leaders of the European Union must take part in negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine. There are several reasons why Europe should participate, stated French President Emmanuel Macron.
"Europeans are not mediators. We stand alongside Ukraine. We provide assistance and support, and we have sanctioned Russia," he stressed.
The French leader emphasized that Europeans must have a seat at the negotiating table when talks begin because the EU's interests are directly linked to what is happening in Ukraine.
"This is true because of the support we have provided, because of the enlargement question that concerns Europeans, because of the financial assistance and loans we have granted," Macron said.
Earlier, Macron stated that US President Donald Trump agreed that Russia had shown no serious willingness to negotiate. Along with other G7 leaders, he noted that previous diplomatic efforts had failed to produce any tangible results.
Meanwhile, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda said that the Kremlin responds only to strength and that EU member states need to develop a unified position to avoid repeating mistakes of the past.
At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that more than half of Russian citizens support ending the war. He also stressed that Russians see the lack of significant battlefield gains by the Russian military.
