French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that he held positive discussions with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, on the conflicts in Ukraine and the Red Sea.
Speaking after meeting Trump in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, Macron said the talks also addressed the situation in the Red Sea and its importance to global prices, followed by an extensive discussion on Ukraine and Russia.
“It was a very good and highly constructive discussion,” Macron said.
Ahead of the widely watched meeting, a French official said Macron intended to speak to Trump “frankly” in an effort to guide him toward what he described as the right decisions, particularly regarding Ukraine.
Macron said he urged his US counterpart to provide Kyiv with air defense systems, arguing that doing so would constitute a defensive measure.
He added that Trump was “very open to discussion” and that the two leaders were able to discuss in detail the two conflicts, which he said are clearly important for global peace and security.
Macron arrived in New York from the French archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon off Canada’s Atlantic coast, where he met Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Carney has been engaged in a sharp dispute with Trump over stalled negotiations aimed at reaching a trade agreement between the United States and Canada, leading to the imposition of tariffs by both countries.
Macron is also scheduled to meet with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Source: AFP
