French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview published on Monday, April 28, that Western allies would "increase pressure on Russia" over the next 10 days and he had told Washington to harden its stance against Moscow. Macron's comments to the French weekly Paris Match came after US President Donald Trump toughened his stance against Russian President Vladimir Putin in the wake of talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the funeral of Pope Francis. Relations have been tense between Zelensky and Trump after Washington opened direct talks with the Kremlin to end the war sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
"In the next eight to 10 days, we will increase the pressure on Russia," he said. Macron, who was also at the Vatican on Saturday for the pope's funeral, added: "The next 15 days will be crucial in trying to implement a ceasefire" in Ukraine. The president added that he believed he had "convinced the Americans of the possibility of an escalation of threats, and potentially sanctions" against Moscow.
Macron said he spoke to Trump last week "to encourage him to adopt a firmer line" against Putin. And at the pope's funeral "I again told him (Trump): 'We need to be much tougher with the Russians'," Macron told Paris Match. "The goal is for the Americans to be able to go to Kyiv fairly quickly, for us to establish the conditions for a ceasefire, and for us to work in depth on measures to support this ceasefire to preserve it on the Ukrainian side," said Macron.
He did not say what kind of American delegation could visit Kyiv. "We must be ready, together with the Americans, to toughen our stance towards Russia to secure this ceasefire," the French president said. Russia has so far not responded to US offers for a long-term truce, instead unilaterally announcing brief truces, including one from May 8-10. "I believe that we have succeeded, thanks to this meeting at the Vatican, in putting pressure back on Russia. That was the desired goal, because it was unfair for pressure to be exerted solely on Ukraine," Macron said.
The French president also said in the interview that he will welcome Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk to France on May 9 to sign a "friendship treaty." Poland is a staunch ally of neighboring Ukraine and has warned in recent months that Moscow might seek to interfere with its May 18 presidential election through cyberattacks and disinformation. "I will welcome the Polish prime minister to Nancy on May 9 to sign a friendship treaty, which is a historic first between Poland and France," said Macron, referring to a city in eastern France.
The signing of the treaty on May 9 will coincide with Putin presiding over a massive parade in Moscow on the same day, as Russia marks victory in World War II. The French president also announced Germany's incoming leader Friedrich Merz would make his first visit as chancellor to Paris on May 7. Merz pledged a spirited defense of Ukraine and of democratic values as he named his new cabinet on Monday, less than a week before he is set to take power in Europe's top economy. European unity is "under threat" from Russia's war in Ukraine, said Merz, adding the more than three-year-old war in Ukraine "is directed against the entire political order of the European continent."