European leaders on a conference call this week expressed distrust toward U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to the German news weekly Der Spiegel, which said it had obtained written notes from the conversation.
Both German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron voiced scepticism during Monday’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other participants, questioning whether U.S. negotiators would truly safeguard Kyiv’s interests, the report said.
The magazine quoted Macron as saying that “there is a chance that the U.S. will betray Ukraine on territorial issues without providing clarity on security guarantees.”
According to the report, Merz warned Zelensky to be “very careful in the coming days,” adding that “they are playing games with both you and us.”
Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who is one of the few Europeans to be on good terms with the U.S. president and who spoke with himon the phone recently, toghether with Giorgia Meloni, apparently stated
We must not leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys.
He was seconded by Secretary General Mark Rutte, who jibed “I agree with Alexander that we need to protect Volodymyr.
Last month, Washington presented an initial 28-point proposal to halt the war in Ukraine, drafted without input from Ukraine’s European allies.
