Macron gathers French party leaders to discuss defense and Ukraine

For French President Emmanuel Macron, it has been a week of holding meetings with leaders to discuss Ukraine. 

On Monday, he welcomed around a dozen of Europe's big hitters – leaders from Denmark, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands and the UK, plus the heads of NATO, the European Commission and European Council. 

On Wednesday, he spoke to even more leaders, representing 19 countries from the Baltics to Europe's west coasts and on to Canada. And on Thursday, he rolled out the welcome mat for leaders of France's political parties.

At each gathering, the subject was the same. Macron has called Russia an "existential threat to Europe" as concern mounts over the rapidly shifting relationship between the United States and Russia, amid fear the future of Ukraine will be negotiated by President Trump and Kremlin officials.

Thursday's domestic talks focused on defense spending and the security guarantees for Kyiv, with the possibility of Trump reducing or even removing U.S. military support in Ukraine and Europe. 

Left-wing party leader Manuel Bompard found it interesting "to hear for the first time the president use the term non-alignment" with regard to Washington, but insisted that the Atlantic Alliance remains as "an obligation in the future security architecture" of Europe.

"We must have a European solution," said Marine Tondelier, the leader of France's green party. "The situation is serious and worrying, for Ukraine but not just Ukraine. Donald Trump is unpredictable. Facing up to him, France must be predictable," she said. 

Hard-right party leader Eric Ciotti said "We have to rebuild a powerful French defense, as a great independent nation," while communist party leader Fabien Roussel said "France must make its voice heard, because it has an original and strong voice to carry." 

Moscow emboldened?

Across Europe, there's growing fear that if Trump allows Russia's Vladimir Putin to dictate the end to the war in Ukraine on his terms, then it could embolden Moscow and leave nations bordering Russia open to being attacked. 

That prospect has seen France and Britain propose a European "reassurance force" which would be deployed to prevent any further attacks on Ukrainian cities, ports and other critical infrastructure if a peace deal is reached to end the three-year war. 

According to Western officials, it would involve up to 30,000 troops, plus additional air force capacity to patrol the country's airspace, and naval detachments to clear mines from the Black Sea, and protect civilian ships.

Any such plan though would have to be backed by Trump, as it would hinge on U.S. protection of that European force, along with the need for American planes and intelligence.

Both Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will separately travel to Washington next week to meet Trump, in a bid to convince him to agree to this plan to provide a backstop that would deter any possible future Russian aggression. 

Earlier this week though, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned against any NATO country deploying troops to Ukraine as part of a peace deal, saying NATO forces under any other flag would be "unacceptable to us."