Next 15 days 'critical' to determine security guarantees for Ukraine – Macron

According to Ukrinform, he made the remarks in an interview with French broadcaster LCI, cited by Politico.

"There is all the work that needs to be done beforehand on security guarantees. The next 15 days are absolutely critical for us to finalize the work with the Americans and give these security guarantees substance," Macron said.

He also noted that "the British, French, Germans, Turks and others are ready to carry out operations, not at the frontline, not provocatively, but reassurance operations in the air, at sea and on land."

At the same time, Macron warned against seeking a quick victory or trusting the Kremlin's words, calling Russia a "destabilizing force" and a "a predator, an ogre at our door."

As Trump pushes for both a bilateral meeting between Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and a trilateral in which he would join the duo, Macron pushed in his LCI interview for Geneva as a potential host, given its history as a neutral venue for international negotiations.

Macron said that Putin's willingness — or refusal — to take part in the trilateral meeting with Zelensky and Trump would help "clear up ambiguities" and reveal whether the Russian leader was serious about making peace.

European Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta said on Tuesday that the final format of security guarantees for Ukraine had yet to be determined, but U.S. and European technical teams will continue working on the issue in the coming days and weeks.

Zelensky said Kyiv is already working on the concrete substance of the guarantees following talks in Washington with the U.S. president and European leaders.

On Monday, the White House hosted first a bilateral meeting between the presidents of Ukraine and the United States, followed by expanded talks with European leaders, including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Photo: Élysée