Macron to warn Trump against looking weak to Putin

French President Emmanuel Macron is owed to conscionable Donald Trump successful Washington later, the archetypal one-on-one gathering betwixt the brace since the US president re-entered the White House.

Macron said successful a societal media Q&A that helium would pass Trump against appearing anemic to Russian President Vladimir Putin. It comes aft the US held nonstop talks with Russia for the archetypal clip since Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

He is besides owed to contiguous European proposals to execute bid successful Ukraine aft the US president accused him of having "done nothing" connected the matter.

The gathering takes spot connected the 3rd day of Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine. Other European leaders person been successful Kyiv successful a amusement of support.

On Thursday, Macron told a societal media assemblage that Trump besides needed to deliberation astir however his interactions with Putin would look to different satellite leaders.

"It's not you, it's not your trademark, it's not successful your interest. How tin you past beryllium credible successful the look of China if you're anemic successful the look of Putin?" Macron said.

He added that helium would question to transportation Trump that the interests of the US and Europe were aligned, and that "if you fto Russia instrumentality implicit Ukraine, it would beryllium unstoppable".

That means immoderate bid woody indispensable beryllium negotiated with Ukrainians and Europeans astir the table, Macron said.

Such an entreaty to the US president's ego is simply a conscious prime from Macron, who knows Trump from the latter's archetypal word successful power, Sebastien Maillard from the Chatham House deliberation vessel says.

"Macron is trying to interaction connected what could beryllium much emotion than connected axenic rational arguments," Mr Maillard said.

Trump wants to look arsenic a beardown antheral who got a bid woody quickly, helium said, truthful Macron's strategy "is to show to Trump however anemic helium would look, helium would not beryllium the beardown antheral helium wants to be".

"If helium treats Putin excessively kindly helium volition not beryllium respected by China, Iran oregon different enemies."

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More broadly, Macron's sojourn is apt to beryllium portion time-buying cognition for Europe and portion fact-finding mission, according to Mr Maillard.

"This is simply a past accidental ngo due to the fact that Europe senses that things are hurrying up - they are acrophobic that this could beryllium done excessively rapidly and badly," Mr Maillard said.

He added that the planetary assemblage was "bewildered" by this "new Putin-Trump axis", and that "Macron wants to recognize what the aboriginal of Nato is".

"So that helium is not taken by astonishment astatine the adjacent code oregon adjacent tweet," Mr Maillard added.

An advisor to Macron's bureau said that the French president would besides usage the gathering to contiguous "proposals for enactment that bespeak the convergences that emerged", AFP reported.

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Those convergences notation to Washington's abrupt argumentation displacement successful engaging Russia directly.

Within a period of taking backmost the White House, Trump had Putin connected the telephone and sent a delegation of US representatives to conscionable with Russian counterparts successful Saudi Arabia.

Those talks resulted successful an statement to name teams from some countries to commencement negotiating the extremity of the war.

Russia besides said it would not judge peacekeeping forces from Nato countries successful Ukraine nether immoderate bid deal, a connection that had ben raised a time earlier astatine a gathering of European members of Nato successful Paris arranged hastily by Macron.

Macron's gathering with Trump comes up of UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's ain visit, which is owed connected Thursday.

Like the French leader, Starmer has besides been accused by Trump of having done thing to extremity the war. The UK person besides responded to Trump calling Zelensky a "dictator" by saying helium was his country's "democratically elected leader".

Both Macron and Starmer volition beryllium looking to contiguous a agreed beforehand to Trump to person him against making decisions astir Ukrainian and European information without involving Europeans, Mr Maillard said.