French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for stronger sanctions against Russia if President Vladimir Putin fails to advance negotiations toward peace in Ukraine.
Speaking to reporters after talks at the White House, Macron said US President Donald Trump believes both Moscow and Kyiv are open to a deal. “President Trump believes we can get an agreement and believes that President Putin also wants a peace accord,” Macron said. “But if in the end, this process is met by refusal, we are also ready to say that we need to increase sanctions.”
He cited recent secondary sanctions imposed by Washington on India, which has become a leading buyer of Russian energy since Western countries curbed imports following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Macron’s comments came days after Trump hosted Putin in Alaska and shortly before Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s scheduled visit to the White House. Over the weekend, Trump again urged Ukraine to make territorial concessions, echoing Moscow’s position — a stance rejected by Zelensky, who insists on reclaiming all land seized by Russia.
Asked whether Trump had linked US security guarantees for Ukraine to such concessions, Macron said, “No, that wasn’t discussed at all. We’re well away from that.”
The French leader also stressed that Washington and European capitals agree there must be no restrictions on Ukraine’s future military strength. “All the leaders meeting in Washington support a robust Ukrainian army that can resist any attempted attack,” he said.
Macron added that he hopes Russia and Ukraine will resume contact “in the coming days,” with a potential three-way summit involving Trump, Putin and Zelensky possible “in two to three weeks.”
