Zelenskyy says Russia must not deceive the world again after Macron call
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron (Getty Images)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with President of France Emmanuel Macron. They discussed the diplomatic situation. Both agreed to work as effectively as possible to achieve a real end to the war in Ukraine.
"I spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron. I am grateful for the support. We exchanged views on the diplomatic situation," Zelenskyy said.
According to him, Ukraine, France, and all partners are ready to work productively toward real peace.
"It is truly important that the Russians do not succeed in deceiving anyone again. We all need a genuine end to the war and reliable security foundations for Ukraine and other European nations," he added.
Putin already tried to deceive the whole world
It is worth recalling that US President Donald Trump hoped for a quick end to the war in Ukraine even before taking office. However, by this summer, he realized that the war could not be ended by talk alone.
According to media reports, with no progress toward peace from Moscow, Trump grew increasingly frustrated day by day.
Earlier reports noted that this spring, Trump was convinced that Putin was "tapping him alone." Moreover, after several intense attacks by Ukraine, the US President even said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had "gone absolutely crazy."
President of France Emmanuel Macron also noted that, in his view, his American counterpart, Trump, realized that the Russian president had deceived him.
It is important to note that Putin's lies disrupted the first stage of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Türkiye.
On the night of May 11, Putin rejected a joint proposal from Ukraine, the EU, and the US for a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine. Instead, Putin offered to meet with Ukraine in Türkiye.
Ukraine and its partners, along with US President Donald Trump, supported this proposal. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to meet Putin in Türkiyepersonally.
As expected, Putin ignored the meeting with Zelenskyy and sent low-level officials to Istanbul instead.
Collapse of the Normandy Format
The first international Normandy Format was established in June 2014 at France's initiative after Russia annexed Crimea and the start of fighting in Donbas. Then-President François Hollande, supported by Chancellor Angela Merkel, invited the Presidents of Russia and Ukraine to a meeting in Normandy. This marked the start of the format.
Subsequent meetings took place in Milan (October 2014), Minsk (February 2015), Paris (October 2015), Berlin (2016), and Paris again (December 2019). These summits discussed the law on the special status of Donbas, the Minsk agreements, the withdrawal of heavy artillery, and the Steinmeier formula. However, Russia sabotaged the implementation of these agreements.
Since 2019, Ukraine has repeatedly initiated new meetings. Russia blocked these initiatives and refused direct dialogue with Ukraine. Then, in 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
