French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the US might be ready to "betray" Ukraine, according to a leaked transcript of a conversation between European leaders discussing a strategy to defend Kyiv, UNN reports, citing POLITICO and Der Spiegel.
What is known?
Details of a phone call on Monday involving Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and others were published by the German newspaper Der Spiegel. The leaders discussed US-led peace talks with Kyiv and Moscow.
"There is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without a clear definition of security guarantees," Macron said, according to Spiegel, adding that there is a "great danger" for Zelenskyy.
Spiegel reported that the Élysée Palace, in a statement to the German publication, denied that Macron had spoken of any betrayal. "The president did not use these words," Macron's office said, according to Spiegel.
Merz noted that Zelenskyy should be "extremely careful in the coming days."
"They are playing games, both with you and with us," Merz said, apparently referring to Washington envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner – US President Donald Trump's son-in-law – who spent five hours in talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Tuesday.
Merz's spokesman, Stefan Cornelius, told POLITICO: "In principle, I do not confirm or comment on excerpts from the conversation."
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According to the transcript, Finnish Minister Stubb seemed to agree with Merz. "We cannot leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys," he said, apparently referring to Witkoff and Kushner, which drew agreement from Rutte.
"I agree with Alexander – we must protect Volodymyr [Zelenskyy]," the NATO Secretary General said. NATO declined to comment when contacted by POLITICO.
Let's add
The publication notes that the call came after the Trump administration circulated a 28-point peace plan, reportedly drafted by Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Witkoff, and Kushner, which was criticized by Ukraine and European allies for being overly sympathetic to Russia, sparking frantic negotiations in Geneva.
These negotiations, which involved European, Ukrainian, and American officials, resulted in an updated 19-point plan that Russia has not yet agreed to. Moscow has not abandoned its maximalist demands, namely: that Kyiv cede vast swathes of unoccupied territory in the east, limit the size of its military, and hold new elections.
According to Spiegel, the Monday conversation also included European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and European Council President António Costa.
During the conversation, the issue of frozen Russian assets was also discussed, Spiegel reports, with some leaders insisting that seizing billions from Moscow to finance a huge tranche of financial and military aid to Ukraine is an issue that should be decided by the EU, not the US.