If Russia and Ukraine sign peace, France and the United Kingdom are willing to send troops to ensure the security of their ally in the future. And if that were to happen, Vladimir Putin would be fine with it. Both ideas, unimaginable until recently, difficult to digest, summarize the meeting held on Monday at the White House between the American Donald Trump and the French President, Emmanuel Macron.
Macron has confirmed what has been said and leaked in the past week. His willingness, alongside Keir Starmer, who will come to Washington on Thursday, to send tens of thousands of soldiers as if they were peacekeepers. "Not to the front line," not to the proximity of Russia perhaps, but on Ukrainian territory, to protect its sovereignty and prevent new imperial temptations. He has not provided many details, neither on numbers, functions, nor commands. But he has trusted that the U.S. will be there "out of solidarity" in some way, even if it is by providing coverage. When asked about the viability of that idea, Trump, who has already made it clear that he will not send U.S. troops to fulfill that role, surprised by stating that it would indeed be an acceptable option for Moscow.
"Yes, he will accept it", he stated from the Oval Office. "Look, he is not looking for more war, he won't mind. I specifically asked him that question, and he has no problem with it," he insisted. A surprising outcome, as the entire Russian narrative about the invasion of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 is based on the threat of NATO. A thesis that Trump himself enthusiastically shares and has recently repeated: how Russia was almost forced to attack due to the threat posed by a possible future entry of Ukraine into the Atlantic Alliance.
The irony is that the invasion of Ukraine, if completed, would have literally brought NATO even closer to Russian borders. And if France and the United Kingdom were to deploy their forces, the result would be similar in some aspects. "They would be there to maintain peace, not on the front lines, not part of any conflict. They would be there to ensure that peace is respected," the French stated. A kind of insurance.
The meeting between Macron and Trump takes place while the bulk of EU leaders are in Kyiv showing their full support for the country and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a victim of personal attacks from the U.S. President and his circle. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration is trying to change the G-7 statements to avoid calling Russia an "aggressor." And, literally, while at the UN, the U.S. voted with Russia, North Korea, or Nicaragua against the resolution proposed by Ukraine calling for a "just and lasting peace." Or with Trump refusing to say that Putin is a dictator, after accusing the Ukrainian leader of being one. "I don't use the word lightly," Trump insisted when questioned by journalists at noon.
Europe is more than concerned for obvious reasons about this turn, and Macron is trying to maintain some bridges. Subtly, praising Trump as he likes, without antagonizing, but with two evident tactics. Correcting him when what he says is not true, which he did several times. And repeatedly hammering home the message he wants to convey: Putin is not trustworthy, he lied in the past, and weak ceasefires or peace agreements like the ones proposed a decade ago, the Minsk agreements, are not enough. So the same mistake cannot be made again.
"Our common goal is to build peace, a solid and lasting peace, and that is what we are going to discuss because I have great respect for the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people. I am here as a friend because for centuries we have been friends, and we are personal friends because we work very well together. I believe that the United States and France are always on the same side, the right side," he courted the French leader. "And that is exactly what is at stake today. This is also a very important moment for Europe, and I am here, after talks with all my colleagues, to say that Europe is ready to step up to be a stronger partner, to do more in defense and security for the continent, and also to be a reliable partner and participate in trade, the economy, investments in many issues," Macron, the European leader at the moment, pointed out.
During his first term, the Frenchman had a not-so-bad relationship with Trump, whom he now defines as a "personal friend." The atmosphere has been cordial, without tensions or clashes. The only hint of friction occurred when Macron interrupted one of the American's diatribes, in which he said that Europeans had not provided aid to Ukraine, but loans, and that they were getting that money back. "No, in fact, to be frank, we contributed 60% of the total effort [for Ukraine], and it was through loans, guarantees, and transfers, like the United States," Macron intervened. "We provided real money, to be clear," he concluded. Or when he reminded him that the war started and is ongoing "because Russia is the aggressor," an obvious, evident fact that the Administration is trying to overlook, dilute, silence, or disguise in recent weeks.
Gently grabbing Trump's arm and with a grimace, the European emphasized that the EU has hundreds of billions of frozen Russian assets in Europe. "If at the end of the negotiation we achieve it and Russia is willing to give it to us, great, in the end, it will be a loan." To which Trump, not very enthusiastically, replied, "If that's what you believe, that's fine."
Trump has not changed his tone much, however. He insists that a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine is possible "in a few weeks," that "Putin wants peace," and that the alternative, continued fighting, could lead to a "third world war."
He also stated that an essential part of this is for the U.S. and Ukraine to sign the agreement by which Washington aspires to take control of up to 50% of Ukrainian rare minerals, something the EU considers vile extortion. Trump said that Zelenskyy could even "come next week or this week" to sign it, after his Treasury Secretary, present in the room and who recently traveled to Kyiv, said that the negotiating teams are already in the final stretch, about to conclude it.
In the same vein, he assured that he will go to Russia, but only "when the time is right," not for the commemorations of May 9 of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, as that would be too soon. "We are trying to make some economic development agreements [with Russia]. They have many things we want, and we'll see. I mean, I don't know if that will materialize, but we would love to be able to do it if we could," he said. "They have huge amounts of rare earths. It's a very large country, in fact, it is the largest in terms of land. It is by far the largest country. And they have very valuable things that we could use, and we have things they could use, and it would be very good if we could do it. I think it would be very good for world peace and lasting peace," he added.
Last year, Russia only produced less than 1% of the rare minerals that the United States is now seeking in Ukraine or Greenland to counter Chinese dominance.