STORY: The goal for Monday's (August 18) talks in Washington between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskiy is to present a united front between Ukraine and its European allies, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday (August 17).

"If we show weakness today in front of Russia, we are laying the ground for future conflicts," he said.

He said Kyiv's allies in Sunday's "coalition of the willing" meeting wanted strong and lasting peace in Ukraine and for Ukraine's territorial integrity to be respected.

Several European leaders, excluded like Ukraine from Friday's summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, will travel to Washington to support Volodymyr Zelenskiy so that Ukraine is not forced into an agreement that does not suit it.

"We're going there tomorrow, not just to accompany President Zelenskiy, but to defend the interests of Europeans," Macron said.

"Europe doesn't want to be at the table for major discussions as a topic of discussion. Europe must be at the table to discuss itself and its future.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

VIDEO SHOWS: FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, GIVING STATEMENT ON UKRAINE AFTER VIDEO MEETING OF 'COALITION OF THE WILLING'

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: FOOTAGE OF MACRON ATTENDING 'COALITION OF THE WILLING' VIDEO MEETING CAN BE FOUND IN EDIT 7792-UKRAINE-CRISIS/FRANCE

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: BREGANCON, FRANCE (AUGUST 17, 2025) (AGENCY POOL - Access all)

1. FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, ARRIVING FOR STATEMENT

2. MACRON LISTENING TO QUESTION

3. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"Ultimately, our desire tomorrow is to present a united front between Europeans and Ukrainians at this moment of conflict resolution, reaffirming who is on the side of peace, who is on the side of international law. But above all, how can we collectively ensure that the international order is respected and that our collective security is protected, because the security of Europeans and France depends on it."

4. MACRON SPEAKING

5. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"And so, if we are weak today with Russia, we are preparing the conflicts of tomorrow and they will affect Ukrainians. And, make no mistake, they can also affect us, at the very moment when our country continues to be regularly attacked on the cyber front, on the information front, or in contested areas, from the sea to space. So, there can be no weakness."

6. MACRON SPEAKING

7. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"There can be no territorial discussion regarding Ukraine without the legitimate, democratically elected leaders of Ukraine. No discussion about Ukraine without the Ukrainians. But in the same way, there can be no discussion about the Europeans' security without them."

8. MACRON SPEAKING

9. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"A country can absolutely, within the framework of an armistice, a ceasefire, or a peace treaty, recognise territories it has lost, territories that are frozen. It doesn't recognise that they are under our sovereignty, but it does recognise that it has lost them militarily. This isn't contrary to international law, but it's a very significant concession, and as I told you, it's not for me to make. However, after three and a half years of such a conflict, with so many human lives sacrificed, no country can accept territorial losses, even de facto, if it doesn't have the guarantee that it will be protected on the rest of its territory."

10. MACRON SPEAKING

11. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"Any agreement that relies on the absence of a Ukrainian army, on the reduction of a Ukrainian army, would be an insincere agreement doomed to be ignored. Because these agreements have already existed in the past, and even when Russia itself signed non-aggression agreements with Ukraine, which it did in 1994 with the Budapest Agreement, it failed to respect them."

12. MACRON SPEAKING

13. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"We have consolidated it (plan for European peacekeepers on Ukrainian soil), our joint chiefs of staff have worked on it within the 'Coalition of the Willing'. Several states are ready to do so, from training to logistics to a presence in non-hot zones, that is, not on the front lines, not in disputed territories, but to have an allied force presence alongside Ukraine. We will present this by also asking the United States to what extent it is prepared to join these, since they have been offered security guarantees and have reaffirmed this."

14. (SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, SAYING:

"We must enter a new diplomatic phase, one in which we assume responsibility for having and defending the interests of Europeans. We're going there tomorrow, not just to accompany (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy, but to defend the interests of Europeans. Europe doesn't want to be at the table for major discussions as a topic of discussion. Europe must be at the table to discuss itself and its future. That's what I would like."

15. MACRON LEAVING