French President Emmanuel Macron believes that his American counterpart Donald Trump is now "closer than ever" to Ukraine and hopes that this will help "increase the pressure" on Russia, reported Agence France-Presse, quoted by BTA.
"He saw the seriousness of the Europeans and their commitment [...] He also saw the heroism of the Ukrainians, of their army and their ability to resist", the French leader said in an interview with the Saudi television channel "Al-Arabiya".
"And in this context, I think he is closer to Ukraine and the Europeans than he has ever been", Macron added.
"I hope this will increase the pressure on Russia and will encourage it to stop the fighting, to return to negotiations and to build a possible future for itself and for all of us", the French president stressed.
After prioritizing dialogue with Vladimir Putin and sometimes being rude to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump on Tuesday compared Russia to a "paper tiger" and hinted that Ukraine could win the war against the Russian army.
In February, he accused Volodymyr Zelensky of "not holding the cards" in this conflict, which began in February 2022 with the Russian invasion, AFP recalls.