Ukraine may have to recognize territorial losses under peace deal, says French Prez Macron

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Ukraine may ultimately have to recognise the loss of some of its territories as part of a potential peace settlement with Russia.

“As part of a truce, a ceasefire or a peace deal, the country may recognize the loss of territories”, Macron said in a video address released on the Elysee Palace’s X page.

“It will not recognize that they are under anyone else’s sovereignty, but will recognize their loss though military action. It doesn’t run counter to international law, but will be a very serious concession”, he added, according to Russian news agency Tass.

« L’Ukraine peut compter sur notre solidarité sans faille alors que nous œuvrons en faveur d’une paix qui préserve les intérêts vitaux de sécurité de l’Ukraine et de l’Europe. »

Déclaration conjointe importante :https://t.co/OiH7emg9Lu

— Élysée (@Elysee) August 16, 2025

Coordination meeting this morning with President Trump, President Zelensky, and my European partners following the meeting between President Trump and President Putin in Alaska.

At the conclusion of this meeting, we continued our discussions with my European counterparts.…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 16, 2025

Macron stressed that “after three and a half years of conflict and so many victims, no country will accept even actual territorial losses if it has no guarantees that the rest of its territory will be protected.”

He said that the Coalition of the Willing met on Sunday to “discuss security guarantees to Kyiv,” which will be once again discussed on Monday at a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington. In his words, the coalition wants to outline “the format of the Ukrainian army that will make it possible to guarantee a fair and lasting peace,” as reported by Tass.

The French leader also recalled that several Western countries have expressed readiness to send several thousand troops to Ukraine to ensure post-conflict peace, as per Tass.

“Several states are ready to do this: from providing training and logistics to the presence in non-combat zones, i.e. not on the frontline or disputed territories,” Macron noted, adding that the issue of the potential deployment of military contingents will be discussed with Trump “to clarify how the United States is ready to participate in this”.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Washington on August 18. He will be accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has also announced plans to take part in this meeting. (ANI)