Macron supports Ukraine in Washington, while Europe seeks weapons. A roundup of global press coverage.

During his visit to Washington, French President Emmanuel Macron is working to bolster support for Ukraine by leveraging his personal relationship with Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Europe is coming together to provide military assistance to Kyiv should the United States halt its arms supplies to Ukraine.

Why the meeting between Trump and Macron is crucial for Ukrainian security, how long Kyiv can endure without military backing from Washington, and when a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia might be expected—read more in this global press review.

France24. "Peace cannot mean Ukraine's capitulation"

The French president became the first European leader to visit Donald Trump in Washington after he returned to power a month ago. Trump welcomed Macron as a "very special guest" during their meeting in the Oval Office, exchanging a characteristic firm handshake, notes the French state news agency France24.

Macron sought to utilize his good personal rapport with Trump to strengthen support for Ukraine. The French leader assured the American president that Europe is ready to "increase its defense commitments and build a lasting peace in Ukraine."

Furthermore, Macron told Trump that Europe hopes for "strong" U.S. involvement in ensuring any peaceful resolution in Ukraine: "As Europeans, we are committed to being active participants in security guarantees for Ukraine. We are well aware that Europeans need to do more for security and defense in Europe."

Trump expressed hope that Russia's war against Ukraine is nearing its end, emphasizing that "the cost and burden of securing peace must be borne by European countries, not solely by the United States." Macron welcomed Trump's efforts to end the war but noted that "this peace cannot mean Ukraine's capitulation."

"In recent years, Ukraine has fought not only for its independence and sovereignty but also for our collective security. I believe that no one in this room wants to live in a world where the law of force prevails, and international borders can be breached daily," Macron said during a joint press conference with Trump.

The French president emphasized that Kyiv must be involved in negotiations to end the war. At the same time, Trump assured that Russia is ready to agree to the deployment of European troops on Ukrainian territory as guarantors of a ceasefire agreement.

Additionally, the U.S. president stated that Washington and Kyiv are nearing an agreement that would grant the United States access to Ukraine's critically important minerals and compensate for the costs of American aid provided over the three years of war. Trump mentioned that Volodymyr Zelensky could visit the White House as soon as "this week or next."

However, the U.S. leader did not clarify whether American security guarantees would be part of the agreement with Ukraine. He only noted that "Europe will do everything possible to ensure that nothing bad happens to Ukraine's security."

Associated Press. "The war in Ukraine may end within weeks"

During the meeting with Macron, Trump surprised journalists by stating that a ceasefire in Ukraine could be possible within the next few weeks, reports the American news agency Associated Press.

After the nearly two-hour meeting, Macron also stated that a truce could be possible in a few weeks. A positive development for Kyiv was the joint participation of Trump and Macron in a video conference with other G7 leaders focused on assistance to Ukraine. Following public attacks on President Zelensky, it seems that Donald Trump has softened his tone towards the Ukrainian leadership, notes Associated Press.

Trump astonished Europe when he began echoing Kremlin narratives following a meeting between American and Russian delegations in Saudi Arabia last week. Thus, Macron's urgent trip to the United States indicates that the French leader is trying to coordinate a European response to the sudden shift in Washington's policy and find common ground with Donald Trump, as well as convince his American counterpart that Russia is a threat to transatlantic security, not a potential partner.

"Moscow poses an existential threat to Europeans. It is a state that is heavily armed and continues to strengthen its military. We do not know where Russia will stop. Therefore, we all must act together to contain it," Macron said before his meeting with Trump in Washington.

However, it remains unclear whether Macron was able to persuade Trump to continue American support for Ukraine, notes Associated Press. During the meeting in the Oval Office, Macron told the American president that Putin "will not respect a ceasefire," according to an advisor to the French president, as reported by Associated Press.

Le Monde. "Europe will continue to provide military support to Ukraine"

How can you influence negotiations in which you are not involved? This is the question Europe is trying to answer, as the United States and Russia discuss Ukraine's future without involving Europeans in the process, writes the French publication Le Monde.

Europeans are doing everything possible to demonstrate unity, despite sharp changes in U.S. foreign policy. On Monday, February 24, the foreign ministers of the 27 EU member states met in Brussels and adopted the 16th package of sanctions against Russia to weaken Moscow's ability to continue the largest war in Europe since World War II.

"The 27 EU member states generally support the principle of further military assistance to Ukraine," said Kaia Kallas, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. At the EU level, heads of state and government plan to discuss how to quickly enhance Ukraine's defense capabilities at an emergency summit scheduled for March 6 in Brussels.

Over the three years of full-scale invasion, the 27 EU member states have provided Ukraine with financial and military support amounting to approximately 135 billion euros, slightly more than the U.S., which has provided around 120 billion dollars in aid to Ukraine. At the same time, EU countries have already agreed to allocate an additional 30 billion euros for assistance to Ukraine by 2025. Most of this amount will be spent on military support for Kyiv, notes Le Monde.

The Baltic states, Scandinavian countries, Poland, and the Netherlands want to act quickly to strengthen Ukraine's Armed Forces. France, Germany, Italy, and Spain are less hasty. Hungary, on the other hand, plans to veto any EU initiatives regarding further military support for Ukraine.

Politico. "Without American assistance, Ukraine will face major problems in six months"

A potential U.S. withdrawal from military support for Kyiv may force Ukrainian leadership to make concessions during peace talks with Russia, notes the American publication Politico. The strongest lever of Trump's influence on Ukraine is the threat to stop arms supplies, confirmed former Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in a conversation with Politico.

"In my opinion, Ukraine has six months before we really start to experience a shortage of weapons at the front," said Dmytro Kuleba.

However, despite the fact that losing U.S. support would be a blow to Ukraine, Kyiv has resources to continue fighting with the help of its European allies. Ukraine plans to spend over 50 billion euros, or about 26 percent of its GDP, on defense and security in 2025. Part of this funding will be provided to Kyiv by the European Union.

Currently, the EU is working on a military aid package for Ukraine worth at least 20 billion euros, reports Politico. A potential halt of American assistance to Ukraine compels Europe to act quickly and decisively.

Last year, Europe also provided Ukraine with a million artillery shells. This year, European countries plan to send another 1.5 million shells to Kyiv. However, without American support, Europe will struggle to meet all of Kyiv's military needs. Over three years of full-scale war, the U.S. has sent more than 3 million 155 mm artillery shells to Ukraine.

The cessation of American military aid would deprive Ukraine of many of its most "effective" weapons, although some American systems may be replaced by European ones. However, the greatest challenge for Ukraine may be the shortage of American munitions and missiles for air defense systems.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys confirmed to Politico that there are "certain weapons, certain equipment that Europe cannot replace if the U.S. stops supplying it to Ukraine," referring to air defense systems and some long-range munitions.

"We need time, and we are working on it. This is a big problem because some categories of weapons cannot be quickly replaced. However, we can provide Ukraine with more resources to help Kyiv produce more weapons on its own," said Kęstutis Budrys.

Even if Washington abandons Kyiv, Ukraine will continue to fight, said Nick Reynolds, a fellow and researcher in land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

"Ukraine continues to hold the front lines with its units using available equipment, and although it still relies heavily on Western support for munitions, it is also producing a significant portion of its armaments," Nick Reynolds commented to Politico.

Zelensky also insists that Ukrainian troops will remain in their positions, regardless of what Trump does: "Everyone understands that we are stable enough today.