Foreign Ministry spokeswoman says French youth being prepared for confrontation under the guise of voluntary measures - Anadolu Ajansı

French President Emmanuel Macron says Europe must "wake up" and spend more on its defense as Trump returns, but how realistic is the suggestion?

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday warned that Russia's war against Ukraine would not end "tomorrow or the day after" as Donald Trump, who pledged to quickly wind up the conflict, returned to the White House.

President Volodymyr Zelensky held separate meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron as well as European Council President Antonio Costa on Jan. 27 in Krakow, Poland amid a visit to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The French President called on Europe to spend more on defence to reduce their reliance on the United States for security.

Trump has promised to push for peace talks in Ukraine within six months but has criticized Europe's lack of defense spending.

Emmanuel Macron gave a speech to the French armed forces in the face of an 'acceleration' of threats which, in his view, requires Europe to 'spend more on defense.'

President Donald Trump has demanded that Russia end its invasion of Ukraine or face punitive economic measures

If Paris really decided to compete with US President Donald Trump, then there is a poor understanding of the balance of power and it will end badly for Emmanuel Macron. This was stated by Senator Alexei Pushkov.

No less certain is what Trump will decide to do. Any plan to deploy European troops to Ukraine — especially NATO member countries — would likely need U.S. backing to be an effective deterrent. That would keep Trump involved in Europe, something he doesn’t want.

Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron are discussing sending British and French soldiers to Ukraine as a peacekeeping force after any potential deal to end the war, The Telegraph understands.

With Russia wearing down Ukraine’s stretched forces and U.S. President Donald Trump pressuring the two sides to end their nearly 3-year-old war, Kyiv and some of its European allies are discussing how that might be achieved in a way that would guarantee Ukraine’s future security.