French President Emmanuel Macron has reportedly warned European leaders that the United States could betray Ukraine in peace negotiations, according to a leaked note from a recent call among European leaders. The note, obtained by German magazine Der Spiegel, quotes Macron as saying, “there is a chance that the US will betray Ukraine on territory without clarity on security guarantees.”
The magazine claims the note contains direct quotes from participants, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who reportedly told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be “very careful.” Merz added, “They are playing games with both you and us,” in an apparent reference to US envoy Steve Witkoff’s mission to Moscow. Finnish President Alexander Stubb was quoted as saying, “we must not leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys.”
Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, who has publicly praised US President Donald Trump, reportedly agreed with Stubb “that we need to protect Volodymyr.” Der Spiegel said it spoke with several participants who confirmed the call took place, and two of them said the quotes were “accurately reproduced.” However, the Guardian has not been able to verify the note’s authenticity, and the Élysée Palace contested the quotes attributed to Macron.
The leak comes as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz cancelled a planned visit to Norway to attend critical talks in Brussels on using Russian frozen assets to fund Ukraine. Merz warned that leaders’ decisions will “decide the future of Europe” amid the threat from “imperialist Russia.” Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever expressed scepticism, calling it an “illusion” to think Russia could lose decisively enough to accept the use of its funds, and raised legal concerns.
This is the second high-level leak in recent days, following Bloomberg’s publication of transcripts of intercepted conversations involving US negotiator Steve Witkoff. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin has stalled progress on a US-brokered peace plan for Ukraine and has stated he is “ready for war” with Europe.
