Handshakes, some fact-checking and more: What did Trump, Macron discuss about Ukraine?

There was bromance, there were smiles and there was tension. When France’s Emmanuel Macron met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Monday (February 24), both world leaders displayed their stark differences in their approach to Ukraine, despite each of them insisting that they wanted the same result — peace.

The meeting, which coincided with the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, comes after Trump’s comments last week calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and inaccurately blaming Ukraine for starting the war with Russia. The meeting also comes at the time when the US joined Russia, North Korea and Iran in voting against a United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

But what did we learn from the Macron-Trump meeting?

Differences, differences and more differences

The rushed meeting between Macron and Trump on Monday was a clear indication that both leaders have very different paths to what they say is their goal — peace between Russia and Ukraine.

The French president made it amply clear that any peace deal in Ukraine must come with security guarantees. “This peace must not mean a surrender of Ukraine . It must not mean a ceasefire without guarantees. This peace must allow for Ukrainian sovereignty and allow Ukraine to negotiate with other stakeholders regarding the issues that affect it,” Macron said with Trump at his side.

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On the topic of security guarantees, both leaders were unable to see eye-to-eye, with the US president saying he wanted a ceasefire as soon as possible, while Macron suggested a more considered approach involving a truce and then a broader peace deal that would include clear guarantees for protecting Ukraine long-term.

Another area where the two leaders had differing opinions was on the topic of how much of its territory Ukraine might have to allow Russia to keep. While keeping relatively mum on the topic, the French president did say, “I say this very clearly: We’re talking about security for Europeans. I’ve been saying this for weeks now. If we do not guarantee the security of this territory within Europe, then how can we guarantee our own security for one and all?

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“We live just 1,500 kilometres from Ukraine, and the Germans and Polish are even closer. So our collective security is important. … Europeans are working for their collective security.”

However, Trump said forcing Russia to give back land was “not an easy thing to do.”

The differences between the two — Macron and Trump — bubbled to the surface when the French leader attempted to correct his US counterpart on the nature of European support for Ukraine, interrupting Trump as he was speaking.

Moment when French President Emmanuel Macron corrected US President Donald Trump after he claimed Europe was loaning money to Ukraine during a joint meeting at the White House today. pic.twitter.com/FBgDk0SFJr

— EDHUB🌍ℹ (@eddie_wrt) February 24, 2025

“Just so you understand, Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine. They’re getting their money back,” Trump said. This is the moment Macron reached over to grab Trump’s arm to interject.

“No, in fact, to be frank, we paid. We paid 60 per cent of the total effort. It was like the US: loans, guarantees, grants,” he said. Trump smirked and said after Macron spoke: “If you believe that, it’s ok with me.”

European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine

But despite the differences, there were also some agreements. Trump, for a long time, has been complaining that Europe isn’t paying enough to support Ukraine compared to the US. And on Monday, Macron acknowledged that European countries could “shoulder” more.

They also agreed on the deployment of European peacekeeping forces once a peace deal is eventually reached. “They would not be along the front lines. They would not be part of any conflict. They would be there to ensure that the peace is respected,” Macron said in the Oval Office with Trump.

Trump accepted the same, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin would too. “Yeah, he will accept that,” Trump said about Putin’s position on a peacekeeping force. “I specifically asked him that question. He has no problem with it.”

Rekindling of bromance

Apart from the details pertaining to the Russia-Ukraine war being hashed out, this meeting was also high on optics. Macron made it a point to be demonstrative of his ties with Trump. They gripped hands, hugged each other and even backslapped one another.

Macron seasoned his comments with a lot of “thank you”s and “Dear Donald”s. Trump, in the meantime, also heaped praise on his French counterpart.

At one point during the meet, Trump tapping Macron’s upper arm said, “He’s a smart customer”. AFP reports that the two even shared an embrace and handshake while on their way to the West Wing. During this press conference, the two even stopped their opening remarks to share another grip.

As British journalist Piers Morgan noted on X the latest display at the White House showed that the French president knew what he was doing. “No world leader handles Trump as well as Macron. Friendly but firm, respectful but not afraid to stand up to him when he thinks he’s wrong. And Trump respects him for it,” Morgan wrote on X.

Uncertain future

The meeting between Macron and Trump came at a very interesting time. While both world leaders spoke of peace in Ukraine, the US administration sided with Russia twice at the United Nations.

First, the US opposed a European-drafted resolution condemning Russia’s actions and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity, which was passed by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. Washington also backed a US-drafted resolution at the UN Security Council calling for an end to the conflict but containing no criticism of Russia.

Following Macron’s meeting, Trump will also meet with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday. The flurry of meetings comes after the US president stepped up his criticism of the Russia-Ukraine war, blaming Kyiv for the conflict. He also called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and demanded that elections be held in the country.

With inputs from agencies