- News
- World
- Europe
European leaders criticised Washington’s approach to peace talks in leaked transcript of call
Arpan Rai,Daniel KeaneFriday 05 December 2025 04:15 GMTComments
CloseWe are no closer to peace in Ukraine, says Kremlin after US talks
On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents
Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents
Get a weekly international news dispatch
Email*SIGN UPI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice
Emmanuel Macron warned that Donald Trump could “betray Ukraine” by offering territory to Russia without security guarantees, according to a leaked transcript of a call between fellow European leaders.
The French president told Kyiv’s allies that Washington could attempt to force Ukraine to give up territory “without clarity on security guarantees”, German newspaper Der Spiegel reported.
Details of the call - which involved Macron along with German chancellor Friedrich Merz and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte - were published by the German newspaper on Thursday.
Macron’s remarks lay bare the rift that remains between Europe and Washington on how to end the near four-year-old conflict. A previous US-drafted peace plan caused consternation in Europe as it appeared to accept Russia’s demands for territory and a significant reduction in the size of the Ukrainian army.
Trump has insisted that Putin is serious about seeking peace in Ukraine, but Kyiv has accused Russia of feigning interest. Ukrainian officials will meet with Witkoff in Miami on Thursday.
Recommended
Macron risks row with Trump after saying US will ‘betray Ukraine’ in leaked call with EU leaders
Putin says there are points he can't agree to in the US proposal to end Russia's war in Ukraine
Zelensky’s plane ‘followed by military drones’ before Dublin visit in ‘hybrid attack’
Villager mistakes Russian-style drone for toy and takes it home
Putin declares Russia will take all of Ukraine’s Donbas region by force
Key Points
- Trump may betray Ukraine, warns Macron in leaked call with European leaders
- Drones were spotted near Zelensky flight path to Dublin
- Putin in Delhi, to hold summit talks with India's Modi
- Putin doubles down on threat to take Donbas by force
Watch: Putin’s alleged secret daughter confronted by Ukrainian whose brother was killed by Russia
Putin’s alleged secret daughter confronted by Ukrainian whose brother was killed by RussiaArpan Rai5 December 2025 04:15Ukraine seeks 'real peace, not appeasement' with Russia, says minister
Ukraine wants "real peace, not appeasement" with Russia, its foreign minister said at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the security and rights body seeking a role for itself in a post-war Ukraine.
The path ahead for peace talks is currently unclear, US president Donald Trump said on Wednesday, after what he called "reasonably good" talks between Russian president Vladimir Putin and US envoy and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
"We still remember the names of those who betrayed future generations in Munich. This should never be repeated again. Principles must be untouchable, and we need real peace, not appeasement," Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha told the OSCE's annual Ministerial Council.
He was referring to a 1938 agreement with Nazi Germany in which Britain, France and Italy agreed to Hitler's annexation of the Sudetenland in what was then Czechoslovakia. The agreement is widely used as shorthand for failing to confront a threatening power.
"Europe had too many unfair peace deals in the past. All of them only led to new catastrophes," Sybiha said while thanking the United States for advancing peace efforts and pledging that Ukraine would "use every opportunity to try to end this war".
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha and US secretary of state Marco Rubio during their meeting (AP)Arpan Rai5 December 2025 04:01Ukraine military says it hit large chemical plant in southern Russia
Ukraine's military said late night yesterday its forces had struck a large chemical plant in Stavropol region in southern Russia, triggering a fire.
The military's General Staff, writing on Telegram, said the Nevinnomyssky Azot plant was hit overnight on Thursday and added the facility produced components for explosives. It described it as one of the largest such plants in Russia.
There was no immediate reaction from Russian officials.
Arpan Rai5 December 2025 03:46Trump may betray Ukraine, warns Macron in leaked call with European leaders
French president Emmanuel Macron warned European leaders that the US may “betray” Ukraine during peace negotiations, according to a bombshell report revealing an alleged transcript of the multi-party call.
“There is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarity on security guarantees,” Macron said according to Der Spiegel, adding that there was “great danger”.
German chancellor Friedrich Merz said Volodymyr Zelensky had to be “extremely careful” in the coming days. In comments likely referring to Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, he said: "They are playing games, both with you and with us.”
Finnish president Alexander Stubb, who enjoys warm relations with Trump, said: We mustn't leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys.” Nato secretary general Mark Rutte concurred, reportedly saying: “I agree with Alexander, we must protect Volodymyr.”
Mr Merz also discussed the issue of frozen Russian assets, warning that the US must be clear that the issue was Europe’s to deal with alone.
Europe could not "leave the decision to other, non-European states regarding what happens to the financial resources of an aggressor that have been legally frozen within the jurisdiction of our rule of law and in our own currency”, he said.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky speaks during a meeting with US president Donald Trump, French president Emmanuel Macron, British prime minister Keir Starmer, and Finland's president Alexander Stubb amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine at the White House in Washington, DC. (Reuters)Arpan Rai5 December 2025 03:31Nato must be ready to respond to hybrid threats, top commander says
Nato must be ready to respond to increasing hybrid threats in order to defend its member states' territory, the alliance's top military commander said.
Hybrid threats refer to both military and non-military tactics designed to undermine an adversary's security and typically include cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, sabotage of key infrastructure and use of drones or irregular armed groups.
"Hybrid threats are a real issue, and I do think that we can anticipate more of that happening," Alexus Grynkewich, a US Air Force general serving as Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, told reporters at the alliance’s military headquarters outside the Belgian city of Mons.
Speaking of recent incidents in Europe, Grynkewich said some were reckless and some intentional. He said it was important to say who was behind hybrid incidents and that the alliance knew Russia was behind some of them.
"We also do think about being proactive... If Russia is attempting to provide dilemmas to us, then maybe there are ways that we could provide dilemmas to them," he said, adding that Nato was a defensive alliance and "there's nothing offensive about this".
Arpan Rai5 December 2025 03:18Drones were spotted near Zelensky flight path to Dublin
An Irish navy ship spotted up to five drones operating near the flight path of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky's aircraft as he arrived for a state visit to Ireland on Monday, local media reported.
The sighting triggered a major security alert amid fears it was an attempt to interfere with the flight path, the Irish Times reported. It quoted unnamed sources as saying the aircraft, which arrived slightly early, was not in any danger.
The Ukrainian delegation arrived late on Monday and departed late the next day as part of a trip to help drum up support in Europe for Kyiv as Russia presses on with its war in Ukraine.
Drone flights, the origin of which are mostly unknown, have recently disrupted airspace operations in Europe. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has called the incursions "hybrid warfare".
The Journal website, which first reported the spotting of the drones at Dublin airport, said they reached the location where Zelensky's plane was expected to be at the exact moment it had been due to pass.
It said enquiries were being carried out to determine whether the drones took off from land or from an undetected ship. They were first spotted northeast of Dublin, around 20 km (12 miles) from the airport, both news outlets reported.
Arpan Rai5 December 2025 03:10Watch: Putin’s alleged secret daughter confronted by Ukrainian whose brother was killed by Russia
Putin’s alleged secret daughter confronted by Ukrainian whose brother was killed by RussiaAlex Croft5 December 2025 03:00Putin in Delhi, to hold summit talks with India's Modi
Russian president Vladimir Putin will hold summit talks with prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi today, aiming to boost trade with the top buyer of Russia's arms and seaborne oil as Western sanctions squeeze their decades-old ties.
Putin is on his first visit to India in four years at a time when New Delhi is engaged in talks with the US for a trade deal to cut punitive tariffs imposed by president Donald Trump on its goods over India's Russian oil purchases.
Modi and Putin are also expected to discuss other topics including labour and civil nuclear energy, with the sides expected to announce new agreements to showcase resilience of their relations.
Moscow has been India's top arms supplier for decades and has said that it wants to import more Indian goods in an effort to grow trade to $100bn by 2030 that so far has been skewed in its favour due to New Delhi's energy imports.
Since European countries cut back their reliance on Russian energy after Russia invaded Ukraine nearly four years ago, India has ramped up its purchases of discounted Russian crude.
"India faces a conundrum; by taking steps to strengthen ties with Moscow or Washington, New Delhi risks setting back ties with the other," Michael Kugelman, senior fellow at Washington's Atlantic Council think tank, wrote in Foreign Policy magazine this week.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and Indian prime minister Narendra Modi sit inside a limousine after arriving at the Palam Air Base in New Delhi (AP)Arpan Rai5 December 2025 02:47Macron proposes moratorium of strikes on critical infrastructure
French president Emmanuel Macron has called on China to back a moratorium on strikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure through winter.
Mr Macron, who was speaking at a press conference with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, said it is vital to do everything possible to find compromises and adhere to international law, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
"I hope that China will join our call and our efforts to reach at least a ceasefire in the form of a moratorium on strikes on critical infrastructure as soon as possible," he said.
It is crucial for the coming winter, with energy facilities still under Russian attack.
Alex Croft5 December 2025 02:00Keep energy infrastructure out of war, Turkey tells Russia and Ukraine
Turkey is telling Russia, Ukraine, and all other parties to keep energy infrastructure out of their conflict and wants energy flows to continue uninterrupted, energy minister Alparslan Bayraktar said after a series of attacks off Turkey's Black Sea coast.
Ukraine, which is targeting Russia's oil exports as Moscow bombards its power grid, has taken responsibility for an attack by sea borne drones on two empty tankers heading towards a Russian port last week.
But it denied any link to another incident on Tuesday in which a Russian-flagged tanker loaded with sunflower oil said it had come under drone attack.
"Hopefully, this horrible war will end. But as of today also, we say to all the parties - Russia and Ukraine - to keep the energy infrastructure out of this war," Bayraktar told journalists in embargoed comments.
"We need to keep the energy flows uninterrupted," he said, adding that routes like the Caspian Pipeline Consortium pipeline should be kept safe.
Alex Croft5 December 2025 01:01Newer1 / 4OlderMore about
UkraineMark RutteEmmanuel MacronRussiaKyivDonald TrumpVladamir PutinVoldymyr ZelenskyJoin our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments