LONDON/PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer are set to travel to Washington next week in an effort to address growing concerns over U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent actions regarding Ukraine and Russia.
The two leaders, representing Europe’s two nuclear powers, will be making separate trips to the White House. Their main goal is to persuade Trump not to rush into a ceasefire deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin at any cost, and to keep Europe involved in the negotiations. They will also discuss potential military guarantees for Ukraine.
Macron, who has built a relationship with Trump during their first presidential terms, has made it clear that agreeing to a bad deal that would amount to a capitulation of Ukraine would signal weakness to the United States’ adversaries, including China and Iran.
In an hour-long question and answer session on social media ahead of his visit, Macron stated, “I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President Putin. It’s not you, it’s not what you’re made of and it’s not in your interests.”
The visits come at a time when there is a growing rift between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with Trump even referring to Zelenskyy as a “dictator.” This has caused concern among Kyiv’s European allies, who are already reeling from a more aggressive U.S. stance on trade, diplomacy, and even domestic European politics.
Philip Golub, a professor of international relations at the American University in Paris, stated that Trump’s rapid-fire moves in his first weeks in office, along with the rhetoric from other U.S. officials, have been a major shock for the Europeans.
“They could not have expected that within the United States would emerge this ultra-nationalist coalition of forces that would actually challenge Europe’s voice in world affairs in such a stark and strong way,” he told Reuters.
Macron sees himself as having a “historic role to play” in going to Washington to ensure that Europe has a say in the ultimate negotiations on Ukraine. However, it remains to be seen if he will be able to achieve anything during this visit.
Starmer, who has also expressed concerns about the end of the war being a “temporary pause before Putin attacks again,” will also be in Washington on Thursday.
In a recent interview on a Fox News podcast, Trump stated that Macron and Starmer had not “done anything” to end the war. However, he did describe Macron as “a friend of mine” and Starmer as “a very nice guy.”
Despite this, both France and Britain are eager to show Trump that they are ready to take on a bigger burden for European security. They are currently working with allies to develop military guarantees for Ukraine, and their leaders will seek to persuade Trump to provide U.S. assurances in any post-ceasefire deal, according to Western officials.
The two countries’ militaries began initial planning last summer for the post-war scenario, but discussions have accelerated since Trump’s election victory in November. They have also received support from countries like Denmark and the Baltic states as they discuss potential actions in the event of a ceasefire and the need for peacekeepers.
While both France and Britain have ruled out sending troops to Ukraine immediately, their plans, which are still in the concept stage, focus on providing air, maritime, land, and cyber support to deter Russia from launching any future attacks, according to officials.
This could involve basing air and sea assets in countries like Poland or Romania to restore safe international air space and ensure the Black Sea remains safe for international shipping.
Additionally, there is talk of sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine. While it may not be necessary for U.S. troops to be on the ground, deterrence in the form of U.S. medium-range missiles and ultimately nuclear weapons will remain crucial.
The options being discussed do not involve sending troops to the frontline or the 2,000-kilometer border, which would still be secured by Ukrainian forces. Instead, the focus is on deploying troops further to the West, with the goal of protecting key Ukrainian infrastructure such as ports or nuclear facilities to reassure the Ukrainian population. However, Russia has made it clear that they would oppose any European presence in Ukraine.
A French military official stated that it is too early to discuss specific numbers as it will depend on the final agreement, the international mandate, and the involvement of non-European troops.
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