Ukraine-Russia Conflict: Latest Developments and International Reactions

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The Ukraine-Russia conflict has entered its third year, with international leaders engaged in diplomatic efforts to broker a peace deal. French President Emmanuel Macron has said a truce between Ukraine and Russia could be agreed in the coming weeks, following talks with US President Donald Trump at the White House. Macron emphasized that any peace deal must "not be a surrender of Ukraine" and must be backed by security guarantees. The US president, who suggested the war could end "within weeks", insisted Europe should shoulder the cost and burden of any peacekeeping deal for Ukraine.

Macron said he had spoken to 30 other European leaders and allies, and many of them were willing to be part of security guarantees for Ukraine. He was working with British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on a proposal to send troops to the region, not to go to the front line, but to maintain peace and collective credibility with US backup. Negotiations on an end to the fighting would cover "security guarantees, land and territories". One of the best ways to secure a US commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty, Macron said, would be through a deal on critical minerals, currently being negotiated by Washington and Kyiv.

The US-drafted resolution, which adopted a neutral stance on the conflict, was adopted by the UN Security Council, supported by Russia, but with France and the UK abstaining. At a joint news conference following his meeting with Macron, Trump did not mention security guarantees but said the cost and burden of securing peace in Ukraine must be paid for by European nations and not just the US. Macron responded that Europe understood the need to "more fairly share the security burden" and added that Monday's talks had shown a path forward.

Trump said he wanted a ceasefire as soon as possible, adding that he would visit Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin once one was agreed. Macron, however, pushed a more considered approach involving a truce and then a broader peace deal that would include clear guarantees for protecting Ukraine long term. The pair did agree, however, that any peace deal should include the deployment of European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, a suggestion rejected outright by Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attended an event with global representatives in Kyiv, where he said "we hope that we can finish this war this year". Other leaders, including from the UK, Germany, and Japan, spoke by video link, with no US representation. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier addressed the recently warming relations between Moscow and Washington, saying "Russia may have gained an open ear in the White House but they have not gained an inch of legitimacy". European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told attendees: "We must speed up the delivery of weapons and ammunition", as the war remained "the most central and consequential crisis for Europe's future".