3 Key Takeaways From the Trump, Macron Meeting

French President Emmanuel Macron met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office Monday afternoon, in a friendly exchange that also highlighted the differences between the two leaders on the war in Ukraine.

At the joint press conference following the meeting, the two leaders both expressed an interest in ending Russia’s war on Ukraine. Macron called the discussion with Trump a “turning point,” and reiterated the wider implication of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“I say this very clearly: We're talking about security for Europeans. I've been saying this for weeks now. If we do not guarantee the security of this territory within Europe, then how can we guarantee our own security for one and all?” Macron said. “We live just 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine, and the Germans and Polish are even closer. So our collective security is important. … Europeans are working for their collective security.”

The meeting, which took place on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is part of European leaders' efforts to regain U.S. support for Ukraine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to meet with Trump on Thursday. The meetings follow Trump’s comments last week calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” and inaccurately blaming Ukraine for starting the war with Russia. Speaking with reporters prior to the meeting, Trump declined to call Russian President Vladimir Putin a dictator. The comments are a marked departure from the previous three years in which the U.S. was one of Ukraine’s staunchest supporters in its fight against Russia.