French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that limiting aid to Ukraine would force Kyiv into an unjust peace and risk another war in Europe, in his sharpest rebuttal yet to voices calling for support to be scaled back.
In a statement posted on social media on Saturday, Macron said those who want to ration aid to Ukraine “wish underneath it all to force an unjust peace on it” — and, by extension, on all of Europe.
“That is the spirit of defeat. That is a recipe for another war. That cannot be France’s position,” he said.
Macron’s intervention comes as the United States mediates talks between Ukraine and Russia in an effort to end the war that began with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022. In comments released on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Washington had suggested Kyiv cede land to Moscow in exchange for Ukraine joining NATO.
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskiy separately on Thursday, after two days of talks in Abu Dhabi ended with no breakthrough. The negotiations did, however, produce agreement that European countries will join future talks on ending the war.
On Friday, in Dublin, Europe chose five countries — France, Germany, Italy, the UK and Poland — to send representatives to those talks. “Europe must take full part” in the work to bring about a “fair and lasting peace” in Ukraine, Macron said.
“What happens in Ukraine concerns us directly… Helping Ukraine defend itself is protecting France and the French,” he added.
Macron said Ukraine’s allies must clearly set out, including to Russia, their postwar vision, and “we must also detail what we expect of the United States for Europe’s long-term security”.
He added that he believed Putin “does not want to negotiate” and was trying to break Ukraine by stepping up drone and missile strikes against civilians and energy infrastructure as winter closes in.
“That means we must keep up our financial backing and helping Ukraine protect its population, its power plants and its grids,” Macron said.
Sources: France 24 with AFP — https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20261114-macron-says-limiting-ukraine-aid-would-pave-way-to-another-war
