Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at French President Emmanuel Macron’s White House visit amid a growing rift between the United States and Europe, the rise of Germany’s far-right party, and friendly China-Russia relations.
Three Years On
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House on Monday to discuss the best path toward achieving a Russia-Ukraine peace deal. But as world leaders convened in Kyiv to mark the three-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s position appeared divided from what U.S. President Donald Trump wants.
Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at French President Emmanuel Macron’s White House visit amid a growing rift between the United States and Europe, the rise of Germany’s far-right party, and friendly China-Russia relations.
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Three Years On
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the White House on Monday to discuss the best path toward achieving a Russia-Ukraine peace deal. But as world leaders convened in Kyiv to mark the three-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s position appeared divided from what U.S. President Donald Trump wants.
Macron argued on Monday that an end to the conflict must ensure “a solid and long-standing peace” for Kyiv. He said Europe is willing to step up to become a “stronger partner” in terms of defense spending, trade, and investments—all things that Trump has pressured the United States’ fellow NATO allies to bolster. And he praised Trump several times in what experts argue is an appeal to the U.S. president’s ego.
At the same time, Macron reiterated that Kyiv and Europe must be part of all future peace negotiations, after Saudi Arabia hosted high-level U.S.-Russia talks last week that failed to include a Ukrainian delegation. And he warned that Kyiv must receive security guarantees, or else Russian President Vladimir Putin will invade again.
Trump said Putin had told him that Moscow would accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine (or what Macron called an “assurance force”) as part of a potential deal. Trump also told reporters on Monday that the United States and Ukraine are “very close to a final deal” on rare earth metals, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Sunday that the Trump administration’s proposal to receive $500 billion worth of Ukraine’s rare earth profits as compensation for its wartime assistance was off the table.
Yet, the White House is still far from where the majority of NATO stands. On Monday, the United States voted against a United Nations General Assembly resolution that condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine and called for Russian-occupied territory to be returned to Kyiv. The resolution passed overwhelmingly despite Russia, North Korea, Belarus, and other authoritarian nations also voting against it.
In recent days, Trump has accused Zelensky of being a “dictator”; falsely indicated that Ukraine is to blame for starting the war; and suggested that Kyiv should accept major concessions, such as not achieving NATO membership and losing nearly 20 percent of its land. On Sunday, Zelensky said that he is willing to step down as president if Kyiv could join the military alliance; Zelensky was democratically elected in 2019.
Asked by a reporter on Monday if Trump also considers Putin a dictator, Trump responded, “I don’t use those words lightly. We’re going to see how it all works out.”
Negotiations are expected to continue in the near future. On Thursday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will visit the White House, during which Ukraine will be a major talking point. And on March 6, European Council President António Costa will convene an emergency European Union summit to discuss the war.
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The World This Week
Tuesday, Feb. 25: New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters begins a three-day trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Wednesday, Feb. 26: South Africa begins hosting a two-day meeting of G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors.
Defense ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations convene in Malaysia.
Thursday, Feb. 27: Macron begins a two-day trip to Portugal.
The Canadian province of Ontario holds snap provincial elections.
Friday, Feb. 28: China concludes hosting the five-day annual meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts talks with a European Commission delegation.
Saturday, March 1: The first phase of the Israel-Hamas cease-fire and hostage release deal ends.
Sunday, March 2: Tajikistan holds legislative elections.
The German state of Hamburg holds regional elections.
What We’re Following
Far-right success. Germany’s opposition Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union (CDU/CSU) coalition won a lackluster victory on Sunday in snap parliamentary elections. Winning just 208 out 630 seats in Berlin’s Bundestag, the conservative bloc failed to secure a majority and must now rely on its rivals to form a coalition government. CDU/CSU leader Friedrich Merz said he hopes to create such a coalition by Easter, which falls on April 20 this year.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) called Sunday’s showing a “bitter election result,” as his center-left party fell to third place by losing 86 seats. But not everyone lamented the final tally. The far-right Alternative for Germany party gained 69 seats, making it the second-largest party in parliament (with 152 seats) and marking the strongest showing of a far-right party in the country since the end of World War II.
If the CDU/CSU bloc forms a coalition with the SDP, then the mainstream rivals should be able to avoid aligning with the AfD—something that both parties have vowed not to do due to the far-right group’s connections with neo-Nazi figures and anti-democratic policies. But a surge in right-wing sentiment across Europe could prove to be a difficult hurdle for the mainstream if the AfD blocks Merz from becoming chancellor.
“No limits” partnership. Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing’s “no limits” partnership with Moscow on Monday during a video call with Putin. “The leaders emphasized that the Russian-Chinese foreign policy link is the most important stabilizing factor in world affairs” and is “not subject to external influence,” the Kremlin said, in an apparent allusion to the notion that the United States could try to drive a wedge between the two countries.
Russia and China first declared a “no limits” strategic partnership in February 2022—mere days before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since then, Beijing has supported the Kremlin’s war effort with oil purchases and exports of dual-use technologies.
West Bank offensive. Israeli tanks moved into the West Bank on Sunday for the first time in two decades. According to Defense Minister Israel Katz, the operation is part of a military effort to “thwart terrorism,” with a particular focus on the refugee camps in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas. Just last Thursday, Israel blamed extremists supposedly connected to a West Bank refugee camp for a series of bus explosions in Tel Aviv.
Katz said that Israeli forces will remain in parts of the West Bank for one year and added that tens of thousands of Palestinians who have fled the territory will not be allowed to return home. Around 40,000 Palestinians have been displaced since Israel’s last West Bank operation began on Jan. 21.
Palestinian officials denounced the recent campaign as a “dangerous escalation” at a time when the cease-fire in Gaza remains precarious, and they urged the international community to intervene against Israel’s “aggression.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said the country’s forces will remain in the occupied territory for “as long as needed.”
Odds and Ends
Two men reportedly used a stolen credit card last week to purchase a French lottery ticket—and won. According to local police, the scratch-off ticket is worth about $523,000. But time is running out to collect it. On Thursday, Jean-David E., whose stolen card was used to purchase the ticket, offered to make a deal with the thieves: He will withdraw his police complaint if the two individuals come forward, and the three of them can split the money. “You risk nothing,” Jean-David’s lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, said. “We will share with you. And you would be able to change your lives.”
The post Trump, Macron Debate Path Toward Russia-Ukraine Peace Deal appeared first on Foreign Policy.
