French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that Russia is the aggressor in its war against Ukraine following a heated exchange between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 28.
"There is an aggressor, which is Russia, and an attacked people, which is Ukraine," Macron told reporters in Portugal.
He emphasized that supporting Ukraine and sanctioning Russia was the right decision three years ago and remains so today.
"We must thank all those who helped, and we must respect those who have been fighting since the beginning," he added.
Zelensky met Trump in the Oval Office as the two leaders were expected to sign a framework deal on Ukraine's natural resources.
His visit followed weeks of tense negotiations. Ukraine rejected two initial draft proposals, arguing that they imposed one-sided obligations on Kyiv without security commitments from Washington.
The meeting ended without a deal after a 45-minute press briefing between Zelensky and Trump turned heated over U.S. aid to Ukraine and the conditions of a potential peace deal with Russia.
Following the talks, Trump said that Zelensky "is not ready for peace" and accused him of disrespecting the U.S. in the Oval Office.
"He can come back when he is ready for peace," Trump posted on Truth Social.
Zelensky left the White House early without signing a mineral deal with the United States following a heated exchange with Trump.
Macron's trip to Portugal followed a visit to Washington, where he sought to convince Trump to commit to post-war security guarantees for Ukraine.
The French president has reportedly failed to receive any clear commitments from Trump, with an undisclosed EU official describing the trip as a "waste of time" in comments for Politico.
The issue of security guarantees has been linked to the potential deployment of a European-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
The Washington Post reported on Feb. 17 that up to 30,000 European troops could be sent to Ukraine to monitor a ceasefire.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
