Macron: “Important for the security of all Europe… Let’s hold a quadrilateral meeting”
European Leaders Emphasize Security Guarantees of “Coalition of the Willing” Post-Ukraine
“Truce must precede negotiations”
On the 18th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held talks, during which major European leaders also visited Washington D.C. to show their support for Ukraine. The European leaders voiced the need for a commitment to a ‘NATO-style model’ that includes the U.S. and emphasized that a truce must precede the negotiation process.
European leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Finland, and representatives from the European Union and NATO, a total of seven European leaders, visited the White House that day.
The European leaders praised President Trump before stating that a truce should be established before active peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. They also expressed anticipation for the ‘NATO-style security guarantee’ mentioned by the U.S.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, in his opening remarks at the White House before the multilateral meeting with President Trump and President Zelensky, said, “The fact that you (President Trump) indicated your willingness to participate in the security guarantees is a significant step forward,” and added, “This will be a genuine breakthrough and will make a substantial change.”
The European leaders focused on obtaining commitments to a ‘NATO-style model’ that includes the U.S. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni mentioned, “We will discuss many important topics, the first being security guarantees to ensure no further war. We are pleased to start with the proposal for the NATO Article 5 model.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed this sentiment, saying that President Trump’s suggestion of a security guarantee similar to NATO’s collective defense Article 5 aligns with what the UK-France led ‘Coalition of the Willing’ has been trying to achieve.
Additionally, he expressed optimism, stating, “By having the U.S. join what we (Coalition of the Willing) have already advanced, we see today as a chance to achieve significant progress in terms of European security and a historic advancement for Ukraine.”
French President Emmanuel Macron also mentioned the security guarantees for post-Ukraine and the ‘commitment’ supported by NATO, emphasizing the credibility of Ukraine’s military as the first security guarantee and their promises as the second.
President Macron argued for the necessity of a quadrilateral summit that includes Europe after an initial trilateral summit involving the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine. He said, “Talking about security guarantees means talking about the security of the entire European continent.”
European leaders insisted that a truce should be declared first in order for final negotiations to proceed promptly. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, in his opening remarks, said, “Let me be frank: all of us want to see a truce,” and stressed the need to apply pressure on Russia, noting that the efforts would only be credible if at least a minimal truce is achieved before substantive negotiations begin.
President Macron also underscored the necessity of stopping the killings, as previously discussed, which everyone supports.
President Trump declared his willingness to participate in security guarantees but indicated that the specifics of this participation would become clearer after that day’s meeting. He had previously mentioned, after his bilateral meeting with President Zelensky, that while Europe would take a leading role in post-war security guarantees, the U.S. would still provide “very good protection and security.” Politico Europe reported that President Trump did not rule out the possibility of U.S. troops being stationed in Ukraine.
President Trump stated that “We will soon know, perhaps in a week or two, if we can resolve the situation or if this terrible battle will continue,” pledging to do their utmost to end the war. However, he cautioned that “an agreement may not be achievable, but it might be possible,” and refrained from guaranteeing that an agreement would be reached. He also mentioned that he would be speaking with Putin after his meetings with Zelensky and the European leaders.