French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that Russia’s Vladimir Putin would be duping U.S. President Donald Trump if he fails to commit by Monday to talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky.
“If that doesn’t happen by Monday, the deadline set by President Trump, it means President Putin has once again played President Trump,” Macron said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, was asked by a reporter outside the White House on Friday, “if that was true.”
“Such an absurd question,” Miller responded. “President Trump has achieved seven peace deals in seven months. No president in history has done more to advance the cause of peace. He’s been nominated by multiple world leaders for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
“Obviously, he’s working steadfastly to end the killing in Ukraine,” Miller said.
Why It Matters
Trump complained last month that Russia’s president “talks nice and then he bombs everybody.” But he has also chided Ukraine for its attacks, and a major Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight from Wednesday to Thursday that killed at least 23 people drew no public condemnation from the Trump administration.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt noted Thursday that Ukraine has been striking Russian oil refineries.
Associated Press
What To Know
Trump has warned of unspecified “consequences” if Putin and Zelensky do not meet. On Friday, Zelensky recalled Trump’s earlier remark that he would give Putin one to two weeks to agree to a bilateral meeting before considering new action against Moscow.
“Two weeks will be on Monday. And we will remind everybody,” the Ukrainian president said.
The proposed meetings between U.S., Ukrainian, and European leaders in New York next week appeared designed to add momentum to the push for peace, as Zelensky expressed frustration with what he called Russia’s lack of constructive engagement in the process while it continues to launch devastating aerial attacks on civilian areas.
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, met on Friday in New York with Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, to discuss preparations for upcoming meetings.
Yermak said he had briefed Witkoff on Russia’s latest attacks on Ukraine and lamented that Putin had shown no willingness to engage in peace efforts despite his meeting with Trump in Alaska this month.
On Friday, Russian officials said that Putin remained open to talks, but noted that high-level preparations for such negotiations were not underway.
Why Does Russia Want Ukraine?
Putin has repeatedly claimed that Ukraine is a Nazi state, and that he wants to “demilitarize and denazify” the country.
The Russian president has often said he believes that Ukraine and Russia should be one nation, but critics have said Putin wants a return of the Russian empire, while others have argued it is because of Ukraine’s natural resources.
When Did Russia Invade Ukraine?
The full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022.
However, the conflict is seen as happening in two stages, with Russia’s invasion and annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014 linked to the current war.
What People Are Saying
Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, in a social media post Friday: “The key priority is to push forward real diplomacy and ensure the implementation of all the agreements reached at the Washington summit. We are coordinating our efforts.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday: “I will remind you of President Putin’s position. He does not rule out the possibility of holding such a meeting, but he believes that any meeting, any high-level meeting, must be well prepared so that it can be used to analyze the groundwork that should first be carried out at the expert level.”
What Happens Next
Putin is due to attend a meeting in China from Sunday that will also include Iran and North Korea, countries that have aided Russia’s war effort, according to the United States.
From September 9, world leaders are expected to attend the United Nations General Assembly, where Russia’s invasion will likely be discussed.
This story includes reporting by the Associated Press.
Update 8/29/25, 5:11 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
