Macron Trump meeting – Macron fact-checks Trump real time on Ukraine

The stark differences in the US and Europe’s approach to the Russia-Ukraine war were on full display as French President Emmanuel Macron fact-checked Donald Trump in real time during their joint media briefing at the White House. As the US President was answering a question about Europe’s funding to Ukraine, Macron grabbed Trump’s arm to interrupt him and issued a fact check.

Trump began by asserting that Europe was just “loaning” money to Ukraine, and it would eventually recover its funds. The remark was being seen as Trump making a case for a deal for Ukraine’s critical mineral resources in exchange for security support.

“Just so you understand, Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine. They are getting their money back,” Trump said. The US President was soon stopped in his tracks by Macron, who grabbed Trump’s arm to interject.

The French President, who is on an official visit to Washington, clarified that the funding to war-torn Ukraine was not expected to be repaid, and any compensation would come from “frozen Russian assets”.

“No, in fact, to be frank, we paid. We paid 60% of the total effort. It was like the US: loans, guarantees, grants,” Macron said. Trump appeared unimpressed and smirked as Macron spoke. At one point, the US President also shook his hand dismissively as Macron claimed Europe made 60% of the funding.

The statements from both leaders reflected the underlying chasm in their approach to the Ukraine war amid a deepening rift in US-Europe relations.

While Trump refused to refer to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “dictator” while answering a question from a reporter, Macron stressed that Russia was the “aggressor” in the war. Last week, Trump called Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator without elections”.

The Trump-Macron meeting came against the backdrop of the US siding with Russia in an extraordinary moment to vote against a resolution at the United Nations condemning Russia’s actions and supporting Ukraine’s territorial integrity.