‘FACT CHECKED’: President Emmanuel Macron politely schools Donald Trump on Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron, in an unprecedented move, corrected President Donald Trump during a live press conference. Macron is largely praised for the bold move.
In a White House press conference with Macron and Trump, an interviewer asked whether or not Macron supports the United States being compensated for their war efforts in Ukraine. “I support the idea to have Ukraine first being compensated because they are the ones who have lost a lot of their fellow citizens,” Macron immediately replied. He specifically mentioned that Ukraine is suffering from Russia’s constant siege.
“Second, all of those who paid for [military aid] could be compensated, but not by Ukraine—by Russia, because they were the ones to aggress.” This is a stark opposite to the Trump administration’s move. Trump hasn’t brought up making Russia pay for its incursion.
Trump interrupted, “Just so you understand, Europe is loaning the money to Ukraine. They get their money back.” Instead of letting the United States president continue, Macron cut him off. He put his hand on Trump’s arm briefly. “No, in fact, we paid. We paid 60% of the total effort. Like the US, [it was through] loans, guarantees, [and] grants. And we provided real money to be clear.” Trump, on the other hand, was just nodding along—albeit mockingly at the French president’s words.
“If you believe that, it’s okay with me,” said Trump about Macron’s comments. While Trump seems nonchalant about the exchange, perhaps there’s a Truth Social rant to follow. Meanwhile, social media users are in awe of Macron’s abrupt correction of Trump. One X user wrote, “Trump’s reality distortion field crumbled against facts. Macron’s leadership shines while Trump flounders.”
Another social media user relished the fact that Macron “FACT CHECKED Trump to his face.”
An affinity to Russia
President Trump has been eyeing Ukraine’s natural resources in exchange for continued military aid. This proposal had been shot down by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. If he had agreed, Ukraine would’ve been obliged to supply the United States with $500 billion in rare earth minerals. DW refuted the claim and reported that the United States only contributed $203 billion in military aid for Ukraine. The Trump administration’s proposal is more than double the amount the United States gave since 2022.
After refusing to sign the deal, Trump called Zelenskyy a “dictator” through social media. Trump also accused Zelenskyy of corruption and misappropriating military funding. Neither claim is proven—additionally, it’s just the president’s opinion that Zelenskyy is a dictator. Regardless, Trump and his cabinet seem disinterested in spending further aid. More importantly, he also showed no interest in helping Ukraine regain its pre-2014 borders that had been encroached upon by Russia.
But this isn’t the end of Trump’s fury against Ukraine. In a recent UN General Assembly, the Trump-led United States openly aligned itself with Russia. The United States, along with Russia, was both not in favor of a resolution condemning Russia’s war against Ukraine. The resolution “calls for a de-escalation, an early cessation of hostilities, and a peaceful resolution of the war against Ukraine.”
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