The remarks were a considerable shift for France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, who called Moscow a potential threat for many European countries.

French President Emmanuel Macron has dubbed Vladimir Putin an ‘ogre’, a giant monster in European folklore that eats children. He said that the Russian leader is a threat to entire Europe and needs to keep attacking for his own political survival.

On Aug. 18, 2025, Trump met European, EU and NATO leaders at the White House to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine.

European leaders will join Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Washington on Monday seeking an end to Moscow's invasion, after President Donald Trump dropped his push for a ceasefire following an Alaska summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spoke by phone on Wednesday with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and discussed U.S. tariffs and the Mercosur-European Union trade deal, Brazil's government said in a statement.

The leaders dropped everything to travel to Washington to ensure President Trump didn’t force a bad deal on Ukraine. A road map for peace remains elusive.