ByREUTERS

If Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't commit by Monday to meet Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, he would have duped US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron said. 

"If that doesn't happen by Monday, the deadline set by President Trump, it means that once again President Putin played President Trump," Macron said at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday.

Trump has threatened "consequences" if the Russian and Ukrainian leaders don't meet.

Zelensky also recalled on Friday a statement by Trump that he would give Putin a week or two to agree on a bilateral meeting with the Ukrainian leader before potentially announcing new action against Russia.

"Two weeks will be on Monday. And we will remind everybody," Zelensky said.

At the beginning of the war, Biden made sure to draw a connection between Hamas and Putin. Destruction followed Russia's missile attack in Ukraine.
At the beginning of the war, Biden made sure to draw a connection between Hamas and Putin. Destruction followed Russia's missile attack in Ukraine. (credit: REUTERS)

Kallas says that the EU would support European military expansion 

The Ukrainian president said he expected to continue talks with European leaders next week on "NATO-like" commitments to protect Ukraine, adding that US President Donald Trump should also be involved.

"We need the architecture to be clear to everyone," he said, adding that he wanted to tell Trump "how we see it."

European Union defense ministers meeting in Copenhagen on Friday expressed "broad support" for expanding the bloc's military training mission to operate inside Ukraine, the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said.

Trump, who has in recent weeks appeared more willing to support Kyiv's defense against Russia, has said Europe must provide the lion's share of any effort to bolster Ukraine's security.

"The EU has already trained over 80,000 Ukrainian soldiers," Kallas wrote on X. "We must be ready to do more."

Russia has consistently opposed the presence of any NATO troops in Ukraine.

Zelensky said he wanted allies to ratify any security guarantees through their parliaments, invoking a 1994 deal in which Kyiv gave up its nuclear arsenal in exchange for security assurances that proved insufficient to deter Russia.

"We want legally binding security guarantees. We don't want (another) Budapest Memorandum."