Paris, Feb 20 (IANS) French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to the United States for discussions with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, focusing on the Ukraine issue and impending US tariffs, French Minister Delegate for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad confirmed on Thursday.
Speaking to French television channel LCI, Haddad revealed that Macron had already spoken with Trump twice this week regarding Ukraine. “Our approach is to maintain dialogue with the president of the United States to ensure that the voice of the Europeans is heard in this negotiation,” he said.
Macron is expected to emphasise to Trump that “the future of Ukraine cannot be decided without the Ukrainians, and the future and security of Europe cannot be negotiated and decided without the Europeans.” Haddad stressed that Europe has contributed more to Ukraine than the United States, and therefore, must have a say in the process.
Moreover, Macron will also address tariffs that Trump plans to impose on European products. “A trade war, protectionism is not in anyone’s interest,” the minister warned.
This week, Macron has hosted European and non-European partners twice to coordinate a common stance on Ukraine. Both meetings concluded with a unified position that any peace talks should include both Ukraine and Europe, Xinhua news agency reported.
On Wednesday, Macron said that France is not preparing to send ground troops to Ukraine.
Macron, however, did not rule out the possibility that if a peace agreement is reached between Kyiv and Moscow, France could send experts or even a limited number of troops to non-conflict zones to “support Ukrainians and demonstrate solidarity.”
He also emphasised that there would be “no lasting peace without the Ukrainians and the Europeans.”
On Monday, Macron hosted a meeting on Ukraine, bringing together leaders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Commission, along with representatives from France, Germany, Britain, Poland, Spain, Italy, Denmark, and the Netherlands.
The meeting aimed to coordinate a common European response ahead of the Russian-US talks. Neither Brussels nor Kiev were invited to the negotiations.
–IANS
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