Trump and Macron discuss Ukraine, Middle East in first phone call
The French president wants to lead the EU response to the likely disruption that will be caused by the U.S. president-elect.
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron and United States President-elect Donald Trump discussed the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East in a call on Wednesday, the French presidency said.
According to an Elysée adviser, Macron congratulated Trump on his victory and insisted on the importance of “working with and for Europe to face common challenges.” The U.S. president-elect has threatened to stop military aid to Kyiv and said he would seek to negotiate an end to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
The French and U.S. leaders agreed to stay in “close contact,” according to the French readout of the call.
The two leaders spoke for 25 minutes in what a French official described as “a warm conversation” and “a very good exchange,” a warmth based on the “proximity” of their relationship during Trump’s first term.
The French president has been seeking to position himself as leading the European response to the potentially seismic changes Trump will usher in as he returns to the White House. Macron was one of the first leaders to congratulate the Republican contender, in a message that had been coordinated with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
French officials have been arguing for weeks that a second term for Trump should serve as a wake-up call and force the European Union to embrace the sovereignty agenda pushed by the French president.
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