Trump has revised his assessment of Russia’s war against Ukraine, - Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that U.S. President Donald Trump’s stance on the war has changed significantly since his return to the White House.
According to Censor.NET, this was reported by Delfi.
Macron noted that upon his return to the White House in early 2025, Trump was convinced that Ukraine would inevitably be defeated in its defensive war against Russia. In particular, the American leader initially expected Ukraine to be defeated quickly.
"The meeting in the Oval Office with President Zelenskyy went poorly. Then, less than a year ago, there was this summit between President Trump and President Putin in Anchorage, where a treaty was nearly put on the table proposing to cede Ukrainian territory that had not yet been conquered," Macron said.
He added that European leaders then traveled to Washington to convince Trump and "tell him that this was unacceptable."
From pessimism to reassessing the situation
Later, according to Macron, Trump saw that the Ukrainians had held their ground.
"Now he has seen that everything he was told—that the Ukrainians would fall and not survive the winter—turned out to be untrue," the French president said.
He added that this was one of the factors behind Washington’s change in approach.
Macron emphasized that Ukraine has demonstrated resilience, while Europe has taken on greater responsibility.
"He is faced with courageous, creative people whom he respects," the French president noted.
Russia and the issue of negotiations
Commenting on possible peace initiatives, Macron stressed that Moscow’s position remains unacceptable.
"Russia is not complying with its obligations, and their ‘peace’ amounts to Ukraine’s capitulation," he said.
Macron expressed hope that the U.S. would play a more active role in putting pressure on Russia.
"President Trump… will exert greater pressure on Russia and its economy and bring it back to the negotiating table," he stated.
The French leader called Washington’s change in stance "real progress," which could strengthen international support for Ukraine and influence the further course of the war.
