French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, is a legitimate leader and, unlike Russian President Vladimir Putin, came to power through a free electoral process.
Macron’s remarks came in response to verbal attacks from U.S. President Donald Trump, who referred to Zelensky as a “dictator without elections,” Reuters reports.
Zelensky’s five-year mandate was supposed to end last year, but elections could not be held in Ukraine during martial law, which was implemented in February 2022 after the full-scale Russian invasion began.
Macron made his comments during a Q&A session on social media as part of the French government’s efforts to raise awareness among the French people about the impact of the war in Ukraine, France’s diplomatic role, and the significant shift in the U.S. position on the conflict since Trump came to power.
On Thursday, the French president said he would travel to Washington to persuade Trump that his interests align with European allies, and that showing any weakness before Russian President Vladimir Putin would make it harder to confront China and Iran.
“I know Trump. I respect him, and I believe he respects me. I will tell him: deeply, you cannot be weak before President Putin. That’s not who you are, that’s not what you’ve been made of, and it’s not in your interest,” Macron added.
According to him, the uncertainty about how Trump is handling the Russian invasion of Ukraine is concerning for America’s allies, as he might negotiate a deal that is insufficient. But this is also creating uncertainty for Putin, which could be used to benefit talks.
“The word is uncertainty. Donald Trump creates uncertainty among others, because he wants to make deals, so creating uncertainty for Vladimir Putin by Donald Trump is a good thing,” Macron said, adding that the Russian president does not know what Trump might do or how he could react.
The French president is expected to travel to Washington on Monday for talks with Trump.
