Getting a Enter Now Get link Facebook X Pinterest Email Other Apps - February 22, 2025 Exclusive news, data and analytics for financial market professionalsSkip to main contentWorldBusinessMarketsSustainabilityMoreMy NewsRegisterMacron, Starmer to meet Trump as Europeans flesh out ideas for Ukraine guaranteesBy Michel Rose, William James and John IrishFebruary 23, 20256:03 AM GMT+6Updated 6 hours agoBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron talk during a bilateral meeting at Chequers, near Aylesbury, Britain, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabSummaryMacron to meet Trump on Monday, Starmer on ThursdayVisits come amid alarm in Europe over US stance on UkraineBritain, France to discuss military guarantees to UkraineLONDON/PARIS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Washington next week amid alarm in Europe over U.S. President Donald Trump's hardening stance towards Ukraine and overtures to Moscow on the three-year conflict.The leaders of Europe's two nuclear powers, who will be travelling separately, are expected to try to convince Trump not to rush to a ceasefire deal with Vladimir Putin at any cost, keep Europe involved and discuss military guarantees to Ukraine.Macron, who is trying to capitalise on a relationship with Trump built during their first presidential terms, has said agreeing to a bad deal that would amount to a capitulation of Ukraine would signal weakness to the United States' foes, including China and Iran."I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President (Putin). It's not you, it's not what you're made of and it's not in your interests," he said in an hour-long answer and question session on social media ahead of Monday's visit to the White House.Advertisement · Scroll to continueThe visits come amid a rift between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whom Trump described as a "dictator", that has alarmed Kyiv's European allies, already reeling from a more aggressive U.S. posture on trade, diplomacy and even domestic European politics.Philip Golub, a professor in international relations at the American University in Paris, said Trump's rapid-fire moves in his first weeks in office, as well as the rhetoric from other U.S. officials, had been a major shock for the Europeans.Advertisement · Scroll to continue"They could not have expected that somehow within the United States would emerge this ultra-nationalist coalition of forces that would actually challenge Europe's voice in world affairs in such a stark and strong way," he told Reuters.He said Macron believed he had a "historic role to play" in going to Washington to ensure Europe can weigh in on the ultimate negotiations on Ukraine. "Whether he can actually achieve something, however, in this visit is an entirely different matter," he added.Advertisement · Scroll to continueStarmer, who has also warned the end of the war cannot be a "temporary pause before Putin attacks again", will be in Washington on Thursday.Speaking on a Fox News podcast on Friday, Trump said Macron and Starmer had not "done anything" to end the war. "No meetings with Russia!" he said, although he described Macron as "a friend of mine" and Starmer as "a very nice guy".MILITARY GUARANTEESHowever, the two countries are keen to show Trump they are ready to take on a bigger burden for European security.Britain and France are firming up ideas with allies for military guarantees for Ukraine and their two leaders will seek to convince Trump to provide U.S. assurances in any post ceasefire deal, Western officials said.Their respective militaries began initial planning last summer for the post-war scenario, but the discussions accelerated in November after Trump secured the U.S. presidency, a French military official and two diplomats said.They have also been supported in putting together an array of options by countries like Denmark and the Baltic states as Europeans discuss what they would be ready to do should there be an accord and peacekeepers required, officials said.While both Britain and France have ruled out sending troops to Ukraine immediately, the plans, still in concept stage, centre around providing air, maritime, land and cyber support that would aim to deter Russia from launching any future attacks, Western officials said.Air and sea assets could be based in Poland or Romania, restoring safe international air space and ensuring the Black Sea remained safe for international shipping, the official said.Part of the British and French talks centre around the possibility of sending European peacekeepers. While U.S. boots on the ground may not be necessary, deterrence in the form of U.S. medium-range missiles and ultimately nuclear weapons will remain crucial.The options being discussed would centre not on providing troops for the frontline or the 2,000-km (1,243-mile) border which would remain secured by Ukrainian forces, but further to the West, three European diplomats and the military official said.Those troops could be tasked with protecting key Ukrainian infrastructure such as ports or nuclear facilities to reassure the Ukrainian population. However, Russia has made it clear it would oppose a European presence in Ukraine.A French military official said there was little sense in talking numbers at this stage because it would depend on what was finally agreed, what international mandate was given and whether non-European troops would also be involved."It's not about the numbers of troops in Ukraine. It's the ability to mobilise and the ability to arrange everything into a package of interoperability units," the French official said.A Western official said that even 30,000 troops could be on the "high side".The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.Writing by John Irish and Michel Rose; Additional reporting by Kate Holton in London and Sabine Siebold in Brussels; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tabSuggested Topics:EuropeUkraine and Russia at WarPurchase Licensing RightsMichel RoseThomson ReutersMichel reports on French politics and diplomacy, having covered President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee since 2017 and the rise of the far right under Marine Le Pen. He also writes about power dynamics in the EU. He previously covered macro-economics and energy. Worked at the Milan, Italy bureau of Reuters during the euro zone debt crisis and at the London headquarters. Michel is a graduate of the London School of Economics and the Sorbonne, and is interested in mental health and social diversity issues.William JamesThomson ReutersWilliam leads the UK Breaking News team, making sure Reuters is first to report key developments in political, economic and general news. He previously spent nearly a decade in Westminster as UK Political Correspondent and before that covered financial markets during the euro zone debt crisis.Read NextEuropecategoryBulgaria's anti-euro protesters try to storm EU mission buildingEuropecategoryMacron says knife attack in east France was "Islamist terrorism"EuropecategoryHungarian judges, court staff rally for judicial independenceEuropecategoryGermans vote in midst of economic malaise, conservatives are set to winEuropecategoryDuda says US should have greater presence in Poland, Central EuropeWorldChina accuses Australia of 'hyping' Chinese naval drillsAsia Pacificcategory · February 23, 2025 · 11:22 AM GMT+6 · 18 min agoChina defence ministry spokesperson Wu Qian said on Sunday that Australian complaints over recent Chinese live-fire naval drills in international waters between Australia and New Zealand were "hyped up" and "inconsistent with the facts".EuropecategoryRussian attacks kill one in Kryvyi Rih, damage houses in Kyiv, Ukraine officials say8:53 AM GMT+6United StatescategoryTrump to name FBI chief Patel as acting ATF director, source says8:41 AM GMT+6Middle EastcategoryIsrael says it is postponing release of Palestinian prisoners7:38 AM GMT+6United StatescategoryMusk orders US federal workers to report on work by Monday or resign7:36 AM GMT+6 Get link Facebook X Pinterest Email Other Apps Comments
Macron, Starmer to meet Trump as Europeans flesh out ideas for Ukraine guaranteesBy Michel Rose, William James and John IrishFebruary 23, 20256:03 AM GMT+6Updated 6 hours agoBritish Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron talk during a bilateral meeting at Chequers, near Aylesbury, Britain, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville/Pool/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tabSummaryMacron to meet Trump on Monday, Starmer on ThursdayVisits come amid alarm in Europe over US stance on UkraineBritain, France to discuss military guarantees to UkraineLONDON/PARIS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Washington next week amid alarm in Europe over U.S. President Donald Trump's hardening stance towards Ukraine and overtures to Moscow on the three-year conflict.The leaders of Europe's two nuclear powers, who will be travelling separately, are expected to try to convince Trump not to rush to a ceasefire deal with Vladimir Putin at any cost, keep Europe involved and discuss military guarantees to Ukraine.Macron, who is trying to capitalise on a relationship with Trump built during their first presidential terms, has said agreeing to a bad deal that would amount to a capitulation of Ukraine would signal weakness to the United States' foes, including China and Iran."I will tell him: deep down you cannot be weak in the face of President (Putin). It's not you, it's not what you're made of and it's not in your interests," he said in an hour-long answer and question session on social media ahead of Monday's visit to the White House.Advertisement · Scroll to continueThe visits come amid a rift between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whom Trump described as a "dictator", that has alarmed Kyiv's European allies, already reeling from a more aggressive U.S. posture on trade, diplomacy and even domestic European politics.Philip Golub, a professor in international relations at the American University in Paris, said Trump's rapid-fire moves in his first weeks in office, as well as the rhetoric from other U.S. officials, had been a major shock for the Europeans.Advertisement · Scroll to continue"They could not have expected that somehow within the United States would emerge this ultra-nationalist coalition of forces that would actually challenge Europe's voice in world affairs in such a stark and strong way," he told Reuters.He said Macron believed he had a "historic role to play" in going to Washington to ensure Europe can weigh in on the ultimate negotiations on Ukraine. "Whether he can actually achieve something, however, in this visit is an entirely different matter," he added.Advertisement · Scroll to continueStarmer, who has also warned the end of the war cannot be a "temporary pause before Putin attacks again", will be in Washington on Thursday.Speaking on a Fox News podcast on Friday, Trump said Macron and Starmer had not "done anything" to end the war. "No meetings with Russia!" he said, although he described Macron as "a friend of mine" and Starmer as "a very nice guy".MILITARY GUARANTEESHowever, the two countries are keen to show Trump they are ready to take on a bigger burden for European security.Britain and France are firming up ideas with allies for military guarantees for Ukraine and their two leaders will seek to convince Trump to provide U.S. assurances in any post ceasefire deal, Western officials said.Their respective militaries began initial planning last summer for the post-war scenario, but the discussions accelerated in November after Trump secured the U.S. presidency, a French military official and two diplomats said.They have also been supported in putting together an array of options by countries like Denmark and the Baltic states as Europeans discuss what they would be ready to do should there be an accord and peacekeepers required, officials said.While both Britain and France have ruled out sending troops to Ukraine immediately, the plans, still in concept stage, centre around providing air, maritime, land and cyber support that would aim to deter Russia from launching any future attacks, Western officials said.Air and sea assets could be based in Poland or Romania, restoring safe international air space and ensuring the Black Sea remained safe for international shipping, the official said.Part of the British and French talks centre around the possibility of sending European peacekeepers. While U.S. boots on the ground may not be necessary, deterrence in the form of U.S. medium-range missiles and ultimately nuclear weapons will remain crucial.The options being discussed would centre not on providing troops for the frontline or the 2,000-km (1,243-mile) border which would remain secured by Ukrainian forces, but further to the West, three European diplomats and the military official said.Those troops could be tasked with protecting key Ukrainian infrastructure such as ports or nuclear facilities to reassure the Ukrainian population. However, Russia has made it clear it would oppose a European presence in Ukraine.A French military official said there was little sense in talking numbers at this stage because it would depend on what was finally agreed, what international mandate was given and whether non-European troops would also be involved."It's not about the numbers of troops in Ukraine. It's the ability to mobilise and the ability to arrange everything into a package of interoperability units," the French official said.A Western official said that even 30,000 troops could be on the "high side".The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.Writing by John Irish and Michel Rose; Additional reporting by Kate Holton in London and Sabine Siebold in Brussels; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tabSuggested Topics:EuropeUkraine and Russia at WarPurchase Licensing RightsMichel RoseThomson ReutersMichel reports on French politics and diplomacy, having covered President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee since 2017 and the rise of the far right under Marine Le Pen. He also writes about power dynamics in the EU. He previously covered macro-economics and energy. Worked at the Milan, Italy bureau of Reuters during the euro zone debt crisis and at the London headquarters. Michel is a graduate of the London School of Economics and the Sorbonne, and is interested in mental health and social diversity issues.William JamesThomson ReutersWilliam leads the UK Breaking News team, making sure Reuters is first to report key developments in political, economic and general news. He previously spent nearly a decade in Westminster as UK Political Correspondent and before that covered financial markets during the euro zone debt crisis.Read NextEuropecategoryBulgaria's anti-euro protesters try to storm EU mission buildingEuropecategoryMacron says knife attack in east France was "Islamist terrorism"EuropecategoryHungarian judges, court staff rally for judicial independenceEuropecategoryGermans vote in midst of economic malaise, conservatives are set to winEuropecategoryDuda says US should have greater presence in Poland, Central Europe
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