According to France24, on the local time of August 17, several European leaders confirmed that they would travel to the United States on the 18th to attend the U.S.-Ukraine meeting together. On the same day, French President Macron stated that European leaders would ask the U.S. how much the U.S. was prepared to contribute to the security guarantees for Ukraine in the peace agreement.
On the same day, after attending a video conference of the "Volunteer Alliance", Macron said that the purpose of this trip was to demonstrate a "united front" between Ukraine and its European allies. The allies of Ukraine hope for a "strong and lasting peace" for Ukraine, and hope that the "territorial integrity" of Ukraine is respected.
On the local time of August 17, Macron answered media questions after attending a video conference of the "Volunteer Alliance". Screenshot from the video
Macron also said, "Only one country equates a peace plan with surrender, and that is Russia."
Later that evening, Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, issued a statement responding, saying that Macron's remarks were "a complete lie."
She said that for seven years, Russia has proposed resolving the conflict "peacefully" based on the terms of the Minsk agreements, and Macron knows that Ukraine cannot win on the battlefield, yet he is still trying to make Ukraine believe it can win.
On the local time of August 15, Russian and U.S. leaders met in Alaska, USA. After that, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy announced that he would be invited to the U.S. on the 18th to meet with U.S. President Trump. On the same day, August 17, several European officials confirmed they would also go to the U.S. to attend the meeting, including leaders from the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and the EU.
Trump previously told European leaders that he was willing to consider providing Ukraine with security guarantees similar to Article 5 of NATO, which was seen as a major shift in Trump's position. On the 17th, U.S. President's special envoy for Ukraine issues, Witekoff, said that Russian President Putin had agreed to accept "strong security guarantees" provided by the U.S. and Europe for Ukraine in the peace agreement. However, this statement has not been verified by the Russian side.
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