French President Emmanuel Macron will use his upcoming trip to the White House to convince U.S. President Donald Trump to align with European allies.

Mr Macron is expected to meet with Mr Trump on Monday to discuss the situation in Ukraine.

During an online question and answer session on Thursday evening, Mr Macron said he planned to tell Mr Trump that showing any weakness to Russian President Vladimir Putin would make it harder to deal with China and Iran.

“I will tell him: deep down, you cannot be weak in the face of President (Putin). It’s not you. It’s not what you’re made of and it’s not in your interests,” the French leader said.

Following the online session, Mr Macron said he had another phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the fourth in the past week.

The pair had reviewed “all the contacts I have had with European partners and allies willing to work towards a lasting and solid peace for Ukraine and to strengthen Europe’s security,” Mr Macron said on X.

Mr Zelensky said the call was “long and substantial” and constructive.

“We thoroughly discussed our views on security guarantees – a just and lasting peace is our shared goal, and we are working towards it together. This is how true partners should work,” he stated on X.

Mr Macron has hosted European leaders over the past week to seek a common line on Ukraine against the backdrop of the U.S. plans for a possible end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

(dpa/NAN)