French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Saturday, November 14, that countries seeking to limit aid to Ukraine want to impose an “unjust peace” on Kyiv, and that cutting support would be “a recipe for another war”, France 24 reported with AFP.
Source: France 24 / AFP
“Those who want to ration aid to Ukraine wish underneath it all to force an unjust peace on it,” Macron said in a statement posted on social media, adding that the same applied “by extension, all of Europe. That is the spirit of defeat. That is a recipe for another war. That cannot be France’s position.”
Source: France 24 / AFP
The warning came in the middle of a decisive week in the diplomacy to end Russia’s war, which began with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022. US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff held two days of American-mediated talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11, which ended with no breakthrough but with an agreement that European countries would join future rounds. On Thursday the envoys met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Dublin.
Source: The Curtain
In comments released the same day as Macron’s warning, Zelenskyy disclosed that Washington had raised the idea of Ukraine withdrawing from the Donbas in exchange for NATO membership — a proposal Kyiv has not accepted. Read: US raised Donbas-for-NATO question, Zelenskyy says
‘Europe must take full part’
At the European Political Community summit in Dublin, attended by almost 50 leaders, Europe chose five countries — France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Poland — together with EU institutions, to represent it in the talks. Forty-two countries backed a French-proposed declaration on European security principles, and leaders named two priorities: helping Ukraine through the winter and pursuing a just, lasting peace.
Source: h.ua
“Europe must take full part” in the work to bring about a “fair and lasting peace” in Ukraine, Macron said. “What happens in Ukraine concerns us directly… Helping Ukraine defend itself is protecting France and the French.” He said Ukraine’s allies must set out their postwar vision clearly, including to Russia, and “detail what we expect of the United States for Europe’s long-term security”.
Source: France 24 / AFP
Macron said he believed Putin “does not want to negotiate” and was trying to break Ukraine by stepping up drone and missile strikes against civilians and energy infrastructure as winter closes in. “That means we must keep up our financial backing and helping Ukraine protect its population, its power plants and its grids,” he said.
Source: France 24 / AFP
Money on the table
Europe is backing its position with money and hardware: the European Union has agreed a €90 billion loan to Ukraine for 2026 and 2027 — yaani about 9,000 crore euros — the Council has extended its military-assistance mission for Ukraine to November 15, 2028 with a budget of nearly €300 million, and the Commission is preparing a 22nd package of sanctions against Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also announced winter support including 500 generators from EU reserves, four floating bridges from Norway and 200 buses.
Source: The Curtain
Inside France, the warning also has a domestic edge: far-right leader Marine Le Pen has said she would end French financial aid to Ukraine after six months if elected, according to summit reporting from Dublin.
Source: h.ua
What happens next
The coalition of countries providing military support to Ukraine meets again in Berlin on November 19, and at the European Council on November 26–27 leaders will discuss Ukraine’s urgent financing needs for 2027. For Kyiv, the test is whether Europe’s new seat at the table protects it from a settlement drawn up over its head; for Europe, it is whether the unity shown in Dublin survives the first hard choices of the negotiation.
Source: The Curtain