Emmanuel Macron has insisted there is “no mistrust” between Europe and the United States over Ukraine, rejecting a report that he had privately warned Washington could betray Kyiv. Speaking during a visit to China, the French president said unity between Americans and Europeans was essential and that they needed to work together.
The denial came after Der Spiegel published a leaked summary of a confidential call between European leaders, in which Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz reportedly voiced doubts about US efforts to negotiate between Ukraine and Russia. Macron was quoted as warning Volodymyr Zelenskyy that “there is a chance that the US will betray Ukraine on territory, without clarity on security guarantees”. Macron told reporters: “I deny everything.”
Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s advisers and Ukrainian officials held a third day of talks in Florida, making progress on a security framework for postwar Ukraine. Macron said Europe welcomed and supported US peace efforts, but stressed that Washington needed Europeans to lead them.
The alleged leak risked angering Trump, whom European leaders have sought to flatter as a key mediator with Moscow. It also came as European leaders scrambled to secure a financing plan for Ukraine, which is running out of money amid intensifying Russian attacks. The EU has pledged to raise €90bn to meet about two-thirds of Ukraine’s needs for 2026 and 2027.
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has proposed borrowing against the EU budget or issuing a loan secured by frozen Russian assets. However, Belgian prime minister Bart De Wever opposed seizing those assets, saying it would be unprecedented even during World War II. Merz, in an op-ed, urged EU leaders to decide on “European independence”.
