Macron to ask Trump not to be weak with Putin during Washington visit

(Patria) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that he will travel to Washington to try to convince President Donald Trump that his interests align with those of European allies and that showing any weakness towards Russia's Vladimir Putin would make it harder to confront China and Iran, Reuters reported.

"Trump, I know him. I respect him and I believe he respects me," Macron said during a one-hour Q&A session on social media. "I will tell him: deep down, you cannot be weak with the President (Vladimir Putin). That's not you, that's not how you are made, and it's not in your interest."

Macron said the uncertainty over how Trump handles Russia's three-year invasion of Ukraine worries allies because he could negotiate something insufficient, but it also creates uncertainty for Putin and that is something that should be leveraged to help negotiations.

"The word is uncertainty. Donald Trump creates uncertainty among others because he wants to make deals, so Donald Trump's uncertainty for Vladimir Putin is a good thing," Macron said, adding that Putin does not know what Trump would do or how he might act.

Macron is scheduled to go to Washington on Monday for talks with Trump as Europeans seek to ensure they play a key role in negotiations to end the conflict and outline how they plan to provide security guarantees for Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached.

The French leader also said that showing weakness towards Putin that would lead to Ukraine's capitulation in a bad deal would also make Trump less credible in tackling China and curbing Iran's nuclear program.

"How can you be credible with China if you are weak with Putin," Macron said, clenching his fist, adding that letting Ukraine fall into Russia's hands would send a strategic signal to Beijing about Taiwan.

"And you who do not want Iran to get a nuclear bomb, you cannot be weak with someone who helps it get one," Macron said.

Macron, who called recent developments a new era, was speaking at the social media Q&A session as part of the French government's efforts to make people more aware of the impact of the Ukraine war on France amid rapid diplomacy since Trump took office a month ago.