US will support Ukraine security guarantees, but no NATO membership, Macron says
The United States is prepared to provide Ukraine with security guarantees once peace is established, but NATO will not be part of that process, French President Emmanuel Macron said Aug. 13.
Speaking to reporters after a video call with U.S. President Donald Trump, President Volodymyr Zelensky, and several European leaders — Macron relayed Trump's assurances that Washington was ready to support European security after the war — but ruled out NATO membership for Ukraine.
NATO membership for Ukraine has long been a controversial issue, with Russian President Vladimir Putin repeatedly — and falsely — citing NATO expansion as a justification for its war in Ukraine.
Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden made historic decisions to apply for NATO membership. More recently, Austria — which has maintained a policy of neutrality since 1955 — has been reportedly weighing joining NATO as well.
Ukraine also applied for NATO membership in September 2022 after Russia illegally declared the annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts. By refusing to support Ukraine's place in the alliance, Trump appears to be favoring Russia's position, as Putin has repeatedly demanded a ban on Ukraine's NATO membership.
The video call with Macron, Zelensky, and Trump took place just two days before the American president's planned summit with Putin in Alaska on Aug. 15.
Kyiv and its European allies convened the conversation with Trump to discuss the war and to express concern about the upcoming meeting, which excludes Ukrainian participation.
A ceasefire in Ukraine was a major topic of discussion: "President Trump said this is one of his priorities in conversation with President Putin," Zelensky told reporters during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Leaders from Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, the European Union, and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte also attended the video call.
According to Merz, European leaders are doing everything they can to ensure the Trump-Putin summit moves "in the right direction," amid fears that Ukraine may be sold out by Trump.
