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The French president has said relations between the US and Ukrainian leaders can be mended following a disastrous meeting
French President Emmanuel Macron has said he has every confidence that relations between US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky will be quickly restored following their public Oval Office blow up last week.
Zelensky’s trip to the White House on Friday was abruptly cut short after his meeting with Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance devolved into a shouting match in front of the media. Trump accused the Ukrainian leader of “gambling with World War III” due to his reluctance to negotiate peace with Russia, and of being disrespectful and ungrateful for the massive military aid provided to Kiev by Washington.
During the heated exchange, Zelensky again ruled out the possibility of talks with Moscow, demanded security guarantees from the US and refused to acknowledge that Kiev’s forces are experiencing manpower shortages.
Macron told Le Figaro on Sunday that he was confident that despite the shouting match, “de-escalation” between the US and Ukrainian leaders will be achieved swiftly.
“In the coming days, we should be able to get things back on track,” he said.
According to the newspaper, the French president has talked to his US counterpart three times in the space of just three days trying to settle the dispute between Washington and Kiev.
Broadcaster BFMTV reported last week, citing a French diplomatic source, that Trump had been initially reluctant to host Zelensky in Washington and that it was Macron who persuaded the US president to change his mind.
Zelensky told journalists on Sunday that he also thought his relations with Trump could be repaired, but added that he would like communications to happen behind closed doors from now on.
“I do not think it is right when such discussions are totally open… The format of what happened, I do not think it brought something positive to us as partners,” the Ukrainian leader explained.
Zelensky also signaled readiness to sign the deal granting the US rights to Ukraine’s natural resources as compensation for military assistance. His trip to Washington had been intended to finalize the agreement before things went awry.
Trump told journalists on Friday that Zelensky is not interested in stopping the fighting and that he would be welcome back to the White House only “when he is ready for peace.”
US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told CNN on Sunday that Washington is unsure whether Vladimir Zelensky is the right person to be in charge of Ukraine. “We need a leader that can deal with us, eventually deal with the Russians, and end this war,” he said.
