Macron, Merz express fears U.S. may 'betray Ukraine' in Kremlin peace talks
global.espreso.tv
Thu, 04 Dec 2025 14:56:00 +0200

Spiegel reported the information, citing a transcript of the leaders' phone conversation on December 1.The call reportedly took place after a day of negotiations in Florida last weekend, involving a Ukrainian delegation and Trump's team. Participating in the conversation with the Ukrainian President were French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as well as EU leaders – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa.Macron, during the conversation, allegedly spoke of "the possibility that the U.S. will betray Ukraine on territorial issues, without clarity on security guarantees." Also, according to the transcript, he added that he sees a "great threat" to Zelenskyy (the publication does not specify in what specific context this was said). Merz, according to the transcript, said that Zelenskyy needs to be "very careful in the coming days.""They are playing a game – with both you and us," said the German Chancellor.Finnish President Alexander Stubb, at one point in the conversation, said that "we (Europeans) must not leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys.""I agree with Alexander, we must protect Volodymyr," Rutte added.The press services of the Finnish President and the NATO Secretary General did not respond to Spiegel's request for comment on the veracity of their information.Several direct witnesses to the conversation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed to the publication that such a call took place and that the content of the conversation was accurately conveyed, but refused to confirm specific quotes. Zelenskyy's office told journalists they would not comment.The Élysée Palace denies that Macron spoke of a "threat of betrayal" from the U.S."The President did not express himself in such terms," they stated in response, but did not provide quotes, citing the confidentiality of the leaders' conversation. At the same time, the press service recalled Macron's public statements, where he positively commented on the U.S. role in the negotiations.Merz's office said they did not want to comment on leaked fragments of the conversation.








