French President Emmanuel Macron was overheard telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that European leaders had a difficult exchange with President Donald Trump before a G7 meeting on Ukraine.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
French President Emmanuel Macron was caught on a hot mic Tuesday telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he had a difficult discussion with President Donald Trump as G7 leaders gathered for talks focused on Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The exchange was captured as Macron and Zelenskyy walked at the Hotel Royal summit venue before a meeting with other world leaders.
“Yesterday we had a difficult discussion with President Trump,” Macron told Zelenskyy.
The moment offered a brief public glimpse into private tensions between Trump and several European leaders over Ukraine policy and broader foreign policy issues. A European official told NBC News that “Trump is being his usual self. Nice sometimes and not so nice sometimes.”
Macron also urged Zelenskyy to remain longer at the summit, but the Ukrainian leader said he was expected in Brussels later in the week.
The French president then asked whether Zelenskyy had secured a face-to-face meeting with Trump. Zelenskyy indicated he had not, even though he had requested one during a Sunday phone call in which he wished Trump a happy 80th birthday.
“OK, I will arrange that,” Macron responded.
Trump later confirmed that he would meet with Zelenskyy, telling reporters, “I’m meeting him later on today.”
According to the New York Post, Trump arrived about 50 minutes late to Tuesday morning’s Ukraine session. He initially did not speak with Zelenskyy, who was greeted by the other G7 leaders.
By the end of the meeting, however, Trump and Zelenskyy spoke privately for several minutes. Zelenskyy later posted photos on social media showing the two leaders seated across from one another in discussion.
European leaders reportedly used the meeting to argue that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s position in the war has weakened. They urged Trump to increase U.S. support for Ukraine as Kyiv continues seeking air defense systems, winter aid and additional pressure on Moscow.
After the meeting, Zelenskyy outlined Ukraine’s priorities in a post on X.
“The priorities are clear: increasing the number of air defense missiles and providing licenses for their production, a winter support package, and strengthening pressure on Russia,” Zelenskyy wrote. “It is important that the United States is ready to provide backstop support in these areas of work.”
Zelenskyy has also pushed for a meeting involving Trump and Putin, saying such a format could make it harder for Russia to refuse negotiations.
“Yesterday, we discussed with President Trump that such a meeting could be organized in the US, in a format where Putin would find it much harder to refuse,” Zelenskyy said in a video posted to X before traveling to France. “We will see what comes of it. If Russia refuses this chance as well, additional pressure will be needed.”
The diplomatic conversations came after Russia launched a large missile attack on several Ukrainian cities ahead of the G7 summit. The barrage killed at least 11 people, according to reports.
The hot mic exchange underscored the complex dynamics surrounding Ukraine at the summit, where European leaders sought to keep the war at the center of discussions while Trump weighed U.S. support, diplomacy with Moscow and broader foreign policy priorities.
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