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At a meeting at the White House, President Trump declined to call President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia a dictator while President Emmanuel Macron of France stated flatly that “the aggressor is Russia.”
- Feb. 24, 2025Updated 6:56 p.m. ET
President Trump and President Emmanuel Macron of France put on a show of friendship on Monday in their first meeting since last month’s inauguration, but for all the clubby hugs and handshakes they could not disguise the growing rift between the United States and Europe over the Ukraine war.
Meeting on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the two leaders seemed intent on avoiding an open rupture as they traded compliments during a convivial White House meeting. But they diverged significantly over the causes of the war, each side’s role in the conflict and its possible resolution.
The session came as the United States and France split sharply at the United Nations over a resolution condemning Russia’s aggression. While Europe and most of the world sided with Ukraine, the Trump administration dissented along with Russia, North Korea and Belarus, putting the United States in a camp that it has rarely if ever been in over the history of the United Nations.
The deepening divide was on display in capitals on both sides of the Atlantic. While the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and European Union buildings in Brussels were illuminated with the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag in solidarity, the White House made no effort to demonstrate support. While many world leaders made the trek to Kyiv to stand with Ukrainian leaders, Mr. Trump focused on sealing a deal to claim the country’s natural resources as recompense for military aid.
“I think a lot of progress has been made,” Mr. Trump said of his efforts to negotiate peace with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia. “We’ve had some very good talks with Russia. We’ve had some very good talks with others, and we’re trying to get the war ended with Russia and Ukraine.”
Mr. Trump also said that he might go to Moscow if a peace deal were reached, which he predicted could happen within weeks. That would make him the first American president to visit Russia in more than a decade and would be seen as a boon for Mr. Putin, who faces an international arrest warrant for war crimes.
