President Donald Trump said progress is being made toward ending the war in Ukraine. He spoke after hosting French President Emmanuel Macron at the White House for a call with G7 leaders.
Macron had pushed for the emergency meeting. He was frustrated that Europe was left out of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. On Monday, he arrived in Washington, D.C., for talks with Trump.
Macron was inside the White House for hours. As he left, he flashed a thumbs-up and told reporters the call was "perfect."
"President Macron is a very special man in my book," Trump said while sitting beside him. "We were together. We did it together. And I think a lot of progress has been made." Trump said discussions with Russia and others had gone well.
Watch the latest video at foxnews.comHe also brought up trade. "We were also talking about trade, various trade deals that we will be doing with France," Trump said. He called the relationship with Macron and France "very special" and said he hopes it continues.
Macron echoed the importance of peace in Ukraine. "We do share the objective of peace," he said. "But we are very aware of the necessity to have guarantees and solid peace."
He also emphasized Europe's role. "I'm here as well, after discussions with all my colleagues, to say that Europe is willing to step up," Macron said. He pushed for stronger defense, security, and economic cooperation.
Later, the two leaders were set for a bilateral meeting and a press conference. Trump also posted about the G7 call, which was convened by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He claimed the war "would have never started if I was President."
Trump promoted a "Critical Minerals and Rare-Earths Deal" with Ukraine. He said it would help the U.S. recover military aid sent to Ukraine while boosting Ukraine’s economy.
Trump also revealed ongoing talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said discussions on ending the war and future economic deals were "proceeding very well."
He added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy may visit soon. "In fact, he may come in this week or next week to sign the agreement, which would be nice," Trump said.
Monday marked the third anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Trump criticized Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying they "haven’t done anything" since 2022 to end the war.
Macron responded the day before. "Trump, I know him. I respect him, and I believe he respects me," he said. "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."