PARIS, France — A leaked diplomatic summary of a high-level call between President Emmanuel Macron, President Volodymyr Zelensky, and several European leaders has exposed mounting European anxiety over Washington’s direction in the ongoing Ukraine peace negotiations, with fears that the U.S. may push Kyiv into a territorial settlement aligned with Moscow’s demands.
According to reporting by German outlet Der Spiegel, which obtained an English-language summary note of Monday’s call, Macron cautioned Zelensky that “there is a chance that the U.S. will betray Ukraine on territory, without clarity on security guarantees.”
The French leader reportedly described the current phase of talks as “a big danger” for Ukraine as the U.S. pursues a separate diplomatic track with Russia.
Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz echoed the concerns, warning Zelensky that he needed to be “very careful”. Merz reportedly told the Ukrainian leader: “They are playing games with both you and us,” an apparent reference to the controversial Moscow visit by U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The pair held five hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Tuesday, and Witkoff is expected to meet Ukraine’s National Security Council chief Rustem Umerov in Miami this week.
The leaked note also suggests Finland’s President Alexander Stubb cautioned that European leaders “must not leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys”, despite his own cordial relationship with Trump. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte reportedly agreed, saying Europe “needs to protect Volodymyr”.
Der Spiegel says it verified the remarks with multiple participants who confirmed the call took place, with two sources saying the quotations were “accurately reproduced”.
The Élysée Palace has contested Macron’s attributed comments, while offices for Zelensky and Merz declined to comment.
The revelations have intensified European unease following Washington’s unveiling last month of a 28-point proposal to halt the war — a plan European capitals say mirrors key elements of Russia’s maximalist demands and was drafted without consultation with Kyiv’s European partners.
U.S. and Ukrainian negotiators have met in Geneva and Florida in recent weeks, even as European capitals argue that any settlement must avoid rewarding Russian aggression or eroding Ukraine’s sovereignty.
Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius on Thursday warned parliament that an imposed or “dictated peace” would be catastrophic not only for Ukraine but also for Europe’s long-term security.
“A Ukraine which is militarily beaten or potentially even defeated at the negotiating table — or destabilised domestically through Russian influence — would put Europe’s security at risk,” Pistorius said, urging European governments to resist fatigue in their support for Kyiv.
In a column published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Merz argued that Europe must assert greater strategic independence, including the use of frozen Russian state assets to fund Ukraine’s defence and reconstruction.
“The question of European independence is being decided today, when our security interests are under threat,” he wrote. “We are sending a signal of European independence — a signal that we Europeans decide and shape what happens on our continent.”
Merz insisted that decisions over frozen Russian assets “cannot be left to non-European countries”, warning that what Europe chooses now “will determine the future” of the continent.
The leaked call has now amplified long-standing fears within Europe that the U.S. may be steering toward a rapid settlement — even one that sacrifices Ukrainian territory — in an effort to end a war entering its fourth year.
As Witkoff and Kushner continue shuttle diplomacy, European leaders appear increasingly united in their message: Ukraine must not negotiate alone.
