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Trump Says Putin Ready To Accept European Peacekeepers

(RFE/RL) -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin is willing to accept European peacekeepers ahead of talks with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, on ways to end the war in Ukraine. "I have specifically asked him that question. He has no problem it," Trump said, when asked by a reporter about Putin's position on the matter. Macron said European countries "are ready and willing to provide" Ukraine with security guarantees "which could perhaps include troops." The French leader said any European forces sent to Ukraine would be there to "maintain peace" and would not be placed along the front lines or become part of the conflict. Macron's visit to Washington comes on the third anniversary of the war sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion. He and Trump attended a virtual meeting with fellow leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) economies to discuss the war in Ukraine prior to holding one-on-one talks. The trip to Washington comes on a day of high-stakes diplomacy, where Macron's visit, along with a summit in Kyiv and a showdown over diplomatic language at the United Nations over how to refer to the war have laid bare Western divisions over how to end the war in Ukraine. Ahead of his trip, Macron said he would present a European action plan to help achieve a durable peace deal with solid security guarantees for Ukraine. During a press conference streamed on social media before departing for Washington, he said he would also present the case to Trump that how he handles Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine will either dissuade or embolden China, the United States' largest geopolitical competitor. "You can't be weak in the face of President Putin. It's not you, it's not your trademark, it's not in your interest," Macron said, outlining the argument he plans to make to the U.S. president. "How can you then be credible in the face of China if you're weak in the face of Putin?" Addressing G7 leaders virtually, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he hoped to finish the war "this year" as he appealed to Trump for continued U.S. support and argued for allowing Ukraine to join NATO, which the Trump administration opposes. “If Ukraine remains outside NATO, it will be a much more expensive and complicated path for everyone because NATO provides the simplest and most cost-effective security guarantees," the Ukrainian president said. Zelenskyy added that Kyiv is working "productively" on an economic deal with Washington amid ongoing tense talks over U.S. access to Ukrainian mineral resources in exchange for continued aid.Trump has roiled America's traditional allies in Europe with his readiness to restart diplomatic ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin and negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, raising concerns that Europe -- and even Kyiv itself -- will be sidelined in the process.Macron's trip comes after Zelenskyy met with at least 13 foreign officials in Kyiv on February 24 -- with another two dozen or more joining online -- to discuss support for Ukraine in the face of questions over U.S. assistance. Those concerns -- which have expanded since U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia last week -- were borne out in comments from European governments at a summit in Kyiv where leaders looked to reaffirm their support for Ukraine. "It is Russia that started this war," German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said via video link. "Russia may have gained an open ear in the White House but they have not gained an inch of legitimacy." During the summit in Kyiv, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen vowed to "speed up the delivery of weapons and ammunition" to Ukraine and announced 3.5 billion euros in new aid. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also promised 1 billion euros in new military support and equipment, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa would contribute new military support and donate frozen Russian funds to Kyiv.The European Union also announced a new sanctions package against Russia and von der Leyen said Ukraine could join the bloc before 2030 if the country continues its reforms at their current speed and quality. "President Trump has changed the global conversation over the last few weeks, and it has created an opportunity," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told world leaders over video connection. "If we want peace to endure, Ukraine must have a seat at the table, and any settlement must be based on a sovereign Ukraine backed up with strong security guarantees." The prospect of a normalization of ties between Russia and the United States, Trump's stated desire to quickly end the war, and a public war of words between the U.S. president and Zelenskyy have worried European leaders and launched a wave of outreach to Washington. "If you look at the messages that come from the U.S., then it's clear that the Russian narrative is there, very strongly represented," Kaja Kallas, the EU's top diplomat, told reporters in Brussels. She is scheduled to travel to Washington on February 25 and meet with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Kallas will follow Macron in visiting Washington, and Starmer is also set to meet with Trump on February 27 at the White House. Polish President Andrzej Duda also met with Trump over the weekend. During a trip to Turkey on the war's anniversary, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow remains open to negotiations but its military campaign will only stop if the outcome is satisfactory to Russia. Lavrov added he believes many countries have become more "realistic" in their position around the war and that the recent meeting in Saudi Arabia raised hopes of having normal dialogue between Moscow and Washington. Alongside Lavrov, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey -- a NATO member that has previously helped broker agreements between Moscow and Kyiv -- was ready to host future peace talks on ending the war in Ukraine.In addition to unfolding Western divisions at the G7, a diplomatic battle over Ukraine is also taking place at the United Nations in New York City, where the United States has proposed a draft resolution that uses less critical language of Russia's full-scale invasion than a draft resolution put forward by the EU and Ukraine. The United States abstained during a vote at 193-member UN General Assembly on February 24, allowing the body to reaffirm Ukraine's territorial integrity and adopt a strongly worded resolution condemning Russia's invasion. But Washington also joined Russia in voting against a UN resolution from Ukraine and European countries that refers to "the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation" and demanded that Russia immediately withdraw its forces.The 15-member UN Security Council is also set to vote on the same U.S. text. In order to be adopted, a council resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by its permanent mebers: the United States, Russia, China, Britain, or France.In contrast, the General Assembly has no vetoes and despite being closely watched a way to gauge world opinion, its reoslutions are legally non-binding -- unlike those adopted by the Security Council.