Title: Macron says Russia-Ukraine truce 'feasible' in coming weeks

The French leader said after meeting with US President Donald Trump that a ceasefire with Russia is possible, but must be backed by security guarantees.

French President Emmanuel Macron said it was "feasible" to suggest a truce between Russia and Ukraine could be agreed in the coming weeks. Speaking to Fox News in Washington after talks with the US president, Macron added that leaders - including Trump - should nevertheless be "careful" when dealing with Russia.

"In 2014, we had a ceasefire with Russia, it was violated every time," Macron said, adding that any truce agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin must be backed by security guarantees.

Europe should shoulder burden of peacekeeping deal

Trump has said the war between Russia and Ukraine could be over "in a matter of weeks" and has insisted that Europe should shoulder the burden of a peacekeeping deal.

Trump's push for peace talks with Russia and his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whom he called a "dictator," have raised fears among European leaders that the United States will try to broker a ceasefire deal unfavorable to Ukraine and give Moscow time to regroup.

Macron, along with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has been at the forefront of efforts to ensure a united European response to a change in tone from the new U.S. administration. Both have suggested they would be open to sending peacekeeping troops to the region, a suggestion Macron reiterated on Monday.

Peacekeepers in Ukraine

"Not to go to the front line, not to go to confrontation, but to be in some places, being defined by the treaty, as a presence to maintain this peace and our collective credibility with the backing of the United States," Macron said.

During a joint press conference with Macron, Trump said Putin had agreed to the presence of European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, despite Russia's ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, having flatly rejected the idea a few days earlier.

According to Macron, negotiations to end the fighting must cover security guarantees, land and territory. Trump did not mention security guarantees after their meeting, but said the cost of securing peace in Ukraine must be borne by both Europe and the US.

Trump's presence is a game-changer

Macron responded that Europe understood the need to "share the burden of security more fairly." Macron concluded that Trump's presence was a "game-changer" and agreed that he had "good reasons" to engage in talks with Putin. Trump said he would meet Putin at some point, though he added that he did not know when.

The US president has also invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House to finalise a $500 billion (€477 billion) rare earth minerals deal that the Trump administration has framed as part of kyiv's repayment of billions of dollars in aid Washington has sent to the war-torn country.

Rare earth minerals deal pending

Zelensky initially insisted that Ukraine would not sign such a deal because the US had not offered any specific security guarantees on the matter.

On Sunday, however, the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament said the government would begin working in earnest to reach a deal with the Trump administration that would allow the US access to Ukraine's mineral resources. He said any deal should include security guarantees for Ukraine from Washington.