French president among European leaders pushing back against US proposal to end the war; Trump says deal is not his ‘final offer’. What we know on day 1,369
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Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that Russia would “betray” its promise and “come back” if Ukraine was forced to reduce its army, as proposed under Donald Trump’s plan. The French president was among European leaders meeting at a G20 summit in South Africa who have pushed back at the one-sided plan by Trump that aims to end the war in Ukraine: “We know that if there are no elements of deterrence, the Russians will come back and break their promises,” Macron told journalists. He also said any plan “requires broader consultation” and had to allow for peace for Ukrainians and “security for all Europeans”.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Saturday, Donald Trump said the US proposal was not his “final offer”. “One way or the other, we have to get it ended,” the US president said. US senators critical of the plan said Saturday that US secretary of state Marco Rubio told them the peace plan Trump is pushing Kyiv to accept is a “wish list” of the Russians. Rubio later insisted the proposal was authored by Washington “as a strong framework for ongoing negotiations”.
