French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed concerns that possible agreements on the Ukraine conflict could end like the Minsk Accords, which failed to bring a lasting peace to the region. Macron made the statement shortly after the special summit of European state and government leaders in Paris, where he emphasized the need for a durable and sustainable peace in Ukraine.
According to Macron, a lasting peace in Ukraine can only be achieved if Russia ceases its aggression and the Ukraine is provided with reliable security guarantees. Otherwise, a ceasefire in the conflict could end like the Minsk Accords, he warned. Macron also assured that France, in collaboration with the US, Ukraine and other European countries, will work towards the fulfillment of these tasks.
Following the Paris summit, Macron held phone conversations with US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The summit in Paris on Monday brought together representatives of Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Italy, Denmark and the EU, as well as NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, at the initiative of Macron. The meeting was organized in response to US claims that Europe might not be included in the talks to resolve the Ukraine conflict.
The Minsk Accords, signed in 2014 and 2015, outlined key measures to resolve the crisis in the Donbass region. The signatory states, including Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, later faced intense criticism for the agreement’s failure to bring a lasting peace to the region.