U.S. President Donald Trump agreed with European leaders that Ukraine must be part of any discussions about territorial concessions to end the war with Russia, Emmanuel Macron said.
The French president was speaking after an hour-long meeting between Trump, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders ahead of the U.S. president’s meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.
“Territorial questions that fall under Ukraine’s authority cannot be negotiated and will only be negotiated by the President of Ukraine,” Macron said, adding that Trump had “expressed” the same.
Trump said on Monday that a peace settlement would require “land swapping” done by both Ukraine and Russia, but did not specify which territories are on the table.
There were not any “robust” discussions regarding land swaps during the call, Macron said, speaking from his holiday residence in the south of France alongside European Council President António Costa.
Zelenskyy has forcefully rejected the idea that any land swaps could take place without Ukraine’s say-so.
“I want to emphasize right away that any issues related to the territorial integrity of our state cannot be discussed, despite our state, our people, the will of the state, the will of our people’s Constitution of Ukraine,” he said after Wednesday’s call.
Other points of agreement with Trump, Macron and Costa both said, include seeking out a ceasefire and the U.S. taking part in future security guarantees for Ukraine.
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