Macron briefs EU leaders on his talks with Trump

Credit: dpa/NAN

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday briefed his fellow European Union leaders on his recent talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, European Council President António Costa.

Earlier on Monday, Macron became the first European leader to be received at the White House by Trump since he took office for a second term.

Macron’s reported about his visit to Washington in a press conference, an EU official said.

European Council President Costa, who organised the video conference, said the exchange was “very useful” for preparing a special EU summit on Thursday next week, without providing further details.

The summit was convened to discuss how to respond to the drastic change of course in U.S. policy regarding the war in Ukraine.

Decisions on the EU’s support for Ukraine and strengthening European defence are to be taken at next week’s gathering, Costa added.

In Washington, Macron urged that the Europeans, who were left out of recent talks on Ukraine between U.S. and Russian representatives, be more closely involved in negotiations.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also expected at the White House on Thursday.