When Donald Trump returned to the White House, he believed that Ukraine would lose the war and therefore sought to reach a peace agreement as quickly as possible. However, the U.S. president’s position on the war has since changed, and Washington is increasingly leaning toward supporting Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia.
French President Emmanuel Macron said this in an interview with France 2.
According to Macron, at the beginning of 2025 Trump was convinced that Ukraine would not be able to withstand the war.
“When he came to power, he thought Ukraine would lose. That is why he wanted to achieve a quick peace,” the French president said.
Macron recalled the tense meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, as well as efforts to advance a peace plan that would have required concessions from Kyiv.
However, subsequent developments changed perceptions in Washington. Trump saw that predictions of Ukraine’s rapid defeat had not come true, while Ukrainians demonstrated resilience, innovation and effective resistance to Russian aggression.
Macron also stressed that stronger support for Ukraine from European allies played an important role. According to him, European countries, together with Canada, Japan and Australia, are working on future security guarantees for Ukraine.
According to Macron, Trump realized that Russia is not honoring its commitments and that its calls for peace effectively amount to a demand for Ukraine’s capitulation.
“There were real changes at this G7 summit, and they should be welcomed. This is real progress,” Macron said.
He expressed confidence that the U.S. president would increase assistance to Ukraine to help defend its territory, while also stepping up pressure on the Russian economy in order to bring Moscow back to negotiations and achieve a “lasting peace” rather than a peace based on the capitulation of one side.
According to the French president, another important outcome of recent days has been the growing alignment of positions among the United States, European allies, Canada and Japan regarding the war in Ukraine.
