French President Emmanuel Macron says his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin is “a predator” and “an ogre at our doorstep,” casting doubt on his willingness to make peace in Ukraine and refrain from future attacks on Europe.
The comments, made in an interview with French broadcaster LCI that aired Tuesday, were Macron’s harshest so far amid his repeated warnings in recent weeks that Moscow isn’t serious about ending its invasion.
They also came as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to lay the groundwork for a peace agreement, including what would be a historic meeting between Putin and Putin.
That peace deal is expected to include security guarantees for Ukraine, which Macron is leading efforts to draw up alongside European, Canadian and international allies.
NATO defence chiefs met Wednesday to discuss what those security guarantees could look like as well as “the current security situation” in Ukraine. Officials called the meeting, which included Canada’s chief of the defence staff Gen. Jennie Carignan, “a candid discussion.”
In the interview, Macron said those security guarantees were essential for the future of not just Ukraine, but the larger European continent. He called Putin a “destabilizing” force who, by investing so much of Russia’s economy into its military since its 2022 invasion, “will not return to a state of peace.”
“For his own survival, he needs to continue eating,” he said in French. “So he’s a predator, he’s an ogre at our doorstep.
“I’m not saying that tomorrow France will be attacked, but it’s a threat for the Europeans. We must not be naive.”
Macron’s comments were more critical than the ones he gave to NBC News on Monday following his meetings in Washington with Trump, Zelenskyy and other European and NATO leaders.
In that interview, the French president said in English that it was important to develop security guarantees for Ukraine as part of a larger peace deal, but warned that more economic pressure on Putin may be needed to get him to end the war for good.
“When I look at the situation and the facts, I don’t see President Putin really willing to get to peace now,” he said, “but perhaps I’m too pessimistic.
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“As long as President Putin and his people will consider they can win this war and get a better result by force, they will not negotiate. This is my feeling and my conviction. So it’s important to remain united … (and) to remain lucid about the situation.”
Macron’s pessimism has run counter to Trump’s belief that Putin is ready to make peace and wants the war to end.
Trump did acknowledge in an interview with Fox News early Tuesday that Putin might not want to make a deal after all, saying, “We’re going to find out about President Putin in the next couple of weeks.”
Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly called for an immediate ceasefire at Monday’s summit at the White House, a demand Trump dropped after meeting with Putin in Alaska last week.
Ukraine and western leaders have accused Putin of dragging out peace negotiations in the hope of capturing more land before any settlement.
Attacks on civilian areas in Sumy and Odesa overnight into Wednesday injured 15 people, including a family with three small children, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian strikes also targeted ports and fuel and energy infrastructure, officials said.
Zelenskyy and European leaders say the ongoing attacks, including on the same day as the Alaska summit and ongoing negotiations, show Putin isn’t serious about peace.
“All of these are demonstrative strikes that only confirm the need to put pressure on Moscow, the need to impose new sanctions and tariffs until diplomacy is fully effective,” Zelenskyy wrote on X.
Security guarantee talks ongoing, Canada involved
Macron told LCI the expectation is to have draft plans for a future security guarantee completed by the beginning of September, before a future meeting between Putin and Zelenskyy and a subsequent trilateral that includes Trump.
The French leader said he then wants to have a multilateral meeting that brings in European leaders and sets those security operations in place with agreement from Russia and the U.S.
The Kremlin has said it is willing to invite Zelenskyy to Moscow for talks, while Macron has said the summit could happen in Europe and that the Swiss city of Geneva has expressed its willingness to act as host.
Putin’s travel is limited due to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court for alleged involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children to Russia.
In both the NBC and French interviews, Macron specifically mentioned Canada among the countries actively participating in security discussions as members of the so-called “coalition of the willing” of Ukraine allies.
A Department of National Defence spokesperson told Global News the Canadian government “continues to engage closely” with Ukraine and allies “on how we can best support Ukraine to defend itself and what security guarantees can be provided.”
The statement suggested Canada’s role in a future security guarantee may continue to be the training of Ukrainian military troops, which has been an active operation since 2015 but accelerated after Russia’s invasion.
“Canada’s support posture is always calibrated to the current security situation, with the needs of Ukraine at the core,” the spokesperson said.
Trump said on Tuesday he had ruled out putting U.S. troops on the ground in Ukraine, but said the U.S. might provide air support to European troops.
Russia has repeatedly said it would not accept NATO troops in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov chided efforts to work on security arrangements in Ukraine without Moscow’s involvement.
“We cannot agree with the fact that it is now proposed to resolve collective security issues without the Russian Federation. This will not work,” Lavrov said Wednesday, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.
“I am sure that in the West, and above all in the United States, they understand perfectly well that seriously discussing security issues without the Russian Federation is a utopia. It’s a road to nowhere.”
— with files from Reuters