Macron Says US Risks ‘Abandoning Ukraine’ as Europe Voices Doubts Over Peace Process

European leaders have raised doubts about US-led efforts to negotiate an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to German magazine Der Spiegel.

Which says it reviewed written notes from a conference call held earlier this week. During Monday’s call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, both German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly questioned whether US negotiators would safeguard Ukraine’s interests in any potential settlement.

According to the publication, Macron warned that there was a risk the United States could “betray Ukraine on territorial issues without clear security guarantees.” The French presidency, however, told Der Spiegel that Macron “did not express himself in these terms,” and declined further comment.

Merz also cautioned Zelenskyy to remain vigilant, reportedly saying, “Be very careful in the coming days. They are playing games with both you and us.”

Finland’s President Alexander Stubb is said to have voiced similar unease, expressing distrust toward US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who recently visited Moscow for discussions. “We cannot leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys,” he reportedly said.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte agreed with the concerns, adding that “we must protect Volodymyr,” according to the notes. Der Spiegel emphasised that the notes were not a verbatim transcript and did not identify who recorded them.

The reported call comes weeks after Washington circulated an initial 28-point peace proposal to end the war — a plan drafted without European input and criticised privately by some allies for appearing too favourable to Moscow’s territorial demands.