That view throws down the gauntlet to the White House, which, in its increasingly cozy relationship with the Kremlin, had hoped to convince Russian President Putin to join Ukraine in agreeing to a 30-day ceasefire. Russia has said it would approve a more limited truce, suspending targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure for 30 days and suspending attacks in the Black Sea, if sanctions were lifted.
While the U.S. can bring pressure to bear, many of the sanctions ― such as Russian banks’ exclusion from the Swift international payment system ― are imposed by the European Union.
The 27 leaders gathered in Paris, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, outgoing German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, agreed they would not soften sanctions until peace was achieved, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters.
He said he hoped Putin would sign up to the ceasefire deal — but if not, that Trump would see through Russia’s stalling tactics.
“President Trump is waiting for a clear answer from the Russians,” Macron said. “If he has the clear message the Russians are not coming [to the table], he will feel deceived, betrayed. And he would have to react.”
While Macron framed Thursday’s summit as complementary to Washington’s bilateral efforts with Kyiv and Moscow, fears remain that the White House could cut Europe out of any future details.
