Macron says Putin ‘played’ Trump if no agreement for Zelenskyy meeting by Monday

French President Emmanuel Macron said that if Russia-Ukraine peace talks don’t get scheduled by President Trump’s Labor Day deadline, Russian President Vladimir Putin “played” the U.S. commander in chief.

Speaking at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Mr. Macron reminded reporters of the deadline to establish peace talks.

“If that doesn’t happen by Monday, the deadline set by President Trump, it means that once again President Putin played President Trump,” Mr. Macron said Friday.

The French president said he still hopes for a meeting between Mr. Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but if it doesn’t happen, European leaders should impose primary and secondary sanctions to pressure Russia to negotiate a peace deal.

Mr. Merz and Mr. Macron were among the seven European leaders who attended a White House meeting with Mr. Trump and Mr. Zelenskyy last week. The leaders talked about security guarantees for a postwar Ukraine, but no specific agreement was reached.

Mr. Merz pledged that European leaders will not “abandon” Ukraine, adding that Mr. Putin isn’t showing proof that he’s willing to meet with Mr. Zelenskyy, despite Washington’s optimistic prediction that a bilateral meeting will happen.

Last week, Mr. Trump said Russia had two weeks to have a meeting with Ukraine or he would take action.

“We’re going to see whether or not they have a meeting. It’ll be interesting to see. If they don’t, why didn’t they have a meeting, because I told them to have a meeting,” the president said. “But I’ll know what I am going to do in two weeks.”

Also on Friday, Mr. Zelenskyy noted that Mr. Trump’s two-week deadline is quickly approaching.

“Two weeks will be here on Monday. And we will remind everybody,” Mr. Zelenskyy said.

Russia has balked at moving to end the war, which began in February 2022. Mr. Putin has refused to meet with Mr. Zelenskyy and has made demands that cross Ukraine’s red lines as part of the negotiating process.

Russian officials have questioned Mr.  Zelensky’s legitimacy, and Moscow’s military has continued to pound Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller pushed back on Macron’s comments during a conversation with reporters. When asked about the Frenchman’s comments, he  called the question “absurd” and said Mr. Trump has “achieved seven peace deals in seven months.”

“Literally no president, not just in our lifetimes, but then I can think of an American history and no world leader anywhere today, anywhere on Earth has done more to advance world peace than President Trump,” Mr. Miller said.