French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin would be duping U.S. President Donald Trump if he fails to commit by Monday to talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“If that doesn’t happen by Monday, the deadline set by President Trump, it means President Putin has once again played President Trump,” Macron said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, was asked by a reporter outside of the White House on Friday, “if that was true?”
Miller responded, in part, “Such an absurd question. President Trump has achieved seven peace deals in seven months. No president in history has done more to advance the cause of peace. He’s been nominated by multiple world leaders for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
He continued, “Obviously, he’s working steadfastly to end the killing in Ukraine.”
Reporter: The French president said today if Putin does not have talks with Zelenskyy, Trump will have been “Played.” Is that true? Is Trump being played by Putin?Miller: Such an absurd question. pic.twitter.com/7Nhjyowfra
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 29, 2025
Trump has warned of unspecified “consequences” if Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky do not meet. On Friday, Zelenskiy recalled Trump’s earlier remark that he would give Putin one to two weeks to agree to a bilateral meeting before considering new action against Moscow. “Two weeks will be on Monday. And we will remind everybody,” Zelenskiy said.
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