French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media after a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and European leaders, amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine, at French Ambassador’s residence in Washington, D.C., U.S., on August 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday (August 19, 2025) warned European allies not to trust Russian President Vladimir Putin whom he called “an ogre at our gates”.
Mr. Macron’s remarks came as Russian and Ukrainian presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky looked set for a peace summit after fast-moving talks Monday between Donald Trump and European leaders that focused on the key issue of long-term security guarantees for Kyiv.
“Putin has rarely honoured his commitments,” Mr. Macron told the LCI broadcaster. “He has constantly been a force for destabilisation. He has sought to redraw borders to increase his power.”
Mr. Macron said he did not believe that Russia would “return to peace and a democratic system from one day to the next”.
Mr. Putin, “including for his own survival, needs to keep eating”, Mr. Macron said. “That means he is a predator, an ogre at our gates.”
This did not mean that France would “come under attack tomorrow”, Mr. Macron said, “but of course this is a threat to Europe (…) let’s not be naive.”
Published – August 19, 2025 10:17 pm IST
