French President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to manage US-Europe relations have been put to the test after US President Donald Trump announced plans to negotiate with Russia. During their meeting at the White House, Macron attempted to fact-check Trump’s claims about Ukraine’s war effort, insisting that the majority of funding came from European sources. However, Trump countered that Europe was loaning money to Ukraine and should be repaid.
Macron and other EU leaders are growing increasingly concerned about the US shift towards Russia. German politician Friedrich Merz has called for strengthening Europe’s independence from the US, while UK Labour leader Keir Starmer prepares to meet with Trump in Washington to salvage the trans-Atlantic alliance. Despite Macron’s efforts to build a rapport with Trump, the US president’s stance on Ukraine remains unchanged, and his recent comments have fueled skepticism about the US commitment to European defense.
The implications of this shift are significant, with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy warning that signing a deal with Russia would force his people to pay the US back for “ten generations.” The EU’s joint resolution condemning Russia was also scuttled at the UN, as the US and Russia voted against it. With Macron leaving Washington without a clear promise of US support or a change in Trump’s stance on Ukraine, the future of trans-Atlantic relations hangs in the balance.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/25/emmanuel-macron-donald-trump-whisperer-us-europe-relations