On Monday, on the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion, votes were held in the UN to put an end to the war in Ukraine. In the General Assembly, the USA – like Russia, Sudan, North Korea, and Belarus – voted against the resolution condemning Russia's actions.
It thus became even clearer that the USA's stance has changed radically since Donald Trump became president.
There is a clear rift here where the Europeans constantly emphasize that this was a Russian aggression and it must be condemned, while the Americans roughly say that it was unfortunate that there was a war, says Jan Hallenberg, professor emeritus of political science.
"Friendly atmosphere"
But Donald Trump's meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron is, after all, much more important for Ukraine's future, notes Jan Hallenberg.
Macron welcomed Trump's efforts to bring about peace talks, but simultaneously clearly marked that they must guarantee Ukraine's long-term security. A positive development, according to Hallenberg.
The most important thing was that they met at all and that it was a friendly conversation. They listened to each other even though they didn't agree on everything, he says.
Even in American media, the meeting is described as "mostly friendly" but that it was impossible to hide the growing rift between the USA and Europe. Several also note that Macron clearly corrected Trump when the American president claimed that Europe only lends money to Ukraine.
To meet Starmer
Trump signaled a guarantee that peacekeeping European forces in Ukraine would receive US support in the event of Russian attacks, said Macron after the meeting. Trump, on the other hand, said that Putin had agreed to European peacekeeping forces under a ceasefire, but did not confirm any security guarantees from the USA.
For Trump, the most important thing is to get a signature from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on minerals, which the American president believes will happen at the latest next week.
It is a prerequisite for a peace agreement, assesses Hallenberg. Macron also mentioned a mineral agreement as important for the path to peace.
It was a way for Macron to try to get the parties closer to each other than they have been before: to stop the insults that have been going on between Trump and Zelensky in recent weeks, says Hallenberg.
The next known step is Thursday's meeting in Washington between Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
He doesn't have the personal connection to Trump that Macron has, so how successful he will be, nobody knows, says Hallenberg.
