Macron says lasting peace in Ukraine must include 'unwavering security guarantees'

GENEVA

French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday that any lasting peace in Ukraine must be backed by strong security commitments.

Macron's remarks came after US President Donald Trump's Friday meeting in Alaska with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which was followed by Trump's exchanges with European counterparts and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"It is essential to continue supporting Ukraine and to maintain pressure on Russia as long as its war of aggression continues and until a solid and lasting peace, respectful of Ukraine’s rights, has been established," Macron wrote on US social media platform X.

He added that "any lasting peace must be accompanied by unwavering security guarantees," welcoming the readiness of the US to contribute in this regard.

"We will work on this with them and with all our partners in the Coalition of the Willing, with whom we will meet again soon, to make concrete progress. It will also be essential to draw all the lessons from the past 30 years, in particular from Russia’s well-established tendency not to honor its own commitments," he said.

The president said that France will continue to work closely with Washington and Kyiv "to safeguard our interests in a spirit of unity and responsibility."

"France remains firmly at Ukraine's side," he concluded.

Trump and Putin were upbeat after their more than three-hour closed-door talks, with the Russian leader saying they had come to reach an "understanding."

After the meeting, Trump said that it is now up to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders "to get it done."

"A lot of points were agreed on, there's not that much, you know, one or two pretty significant items, but I think they can be reached," Trump said during a Fox News interview following his historic sit-down with Putin in Alaska.

"Now, it's really up to President Zelenskyy to get it done. And I would also say the European nations, they have to get involved a little bit, but it's up to President Zelenskyy," he added.