عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Don’t Prejudge Trump over Ukraine, France Says

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot (R) arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot (R) arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
TT
TT

Don’t Prejudge Trump over Ukraine, France Says

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot (R) arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot (R) arrives to attend a governmental seminar at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, on November 4, 2024. (AFP)

Ukraine's allies should not prejudge how the next US administration will handle the Ukraine conflict, France's foreign minister said on Monday, adding that Paris believed Western powers must stay united in their support for Kyiv.

US President-elect Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the scale of Western financial and military aid to Kyiv, spoke in recent days with Russian President Vladimir Putin and advised him not to escalate the Ukraine war, a source familiar with the conversation told Reuters on Sunday.

The Kremlin denied on Monday that Putin and Trump had spoken.

"Facing the speculation on what could be the positions or initiatives of the new US administration, I think that we absolutely should not prejudge and we have to give it (the administration) time," Jean-Noel Barrot told the Paris Peace Forum.

However, Barrot said any initiatives would have to ensure that Ukraine itself determined the timing and conditions for engaging in a negotiation process. In the meantime, he said, Western allies had to give Kyiv all the necessary means to push back invading Russian forces.

"Ukraine, and beyond that the international community, would have too much to lose if Russia imposed the law of the strongest," he said.

France's defense minister said on Sunday that Paris was sending a new batch of long-range missiles to Ukraine so it could strike behind Russian lines.

"President Volodymr Zelenskiy Zelenskiy has met President- elect Donald Trump numerous times and I don't doubt that a strong relationship will be established with the new administration...," said Barrot.

Finland's Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told the same forum it was time Ukraine's allies sharpened their analysis on Russia

"It's not only about Ukraine. The threat that Russia is causing for humankind is existential and does not start or end with Ukraine" said Valtonen, whose country joined NATO last year in response to Russia's Feb. 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Iranian President: We Must Manage Relationship and Confrontation with the US Ourselves

Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.
Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.
TT
TT

Iranian President: We Must Manage Relationship and Confrontation with the US Ourselves

Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.
Photo published by the Iranian presidency on Tuesday of a meeting chaired by Pezeshkian.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called on Tuesday for the “management” of the tense relations between Tehran and Washington, emphasizing the need to “deal with enemies with patience.” This statement comes a week after Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election.
According to official media, Pezeshkian told current and former senior officials in the diplomatic sector that Iran cannot ignore its longstanding adversary, the United States.
“Whether we like it or not, we will have to engage with the United States on both regional and international fronts; therefore, it is better that we manage this relationship and confrontation ourselves,” he stated.
Pezeshkian was speaking at an “advisory” meeting on foreign policy with former Iranian FMs and members of his administration, including Ali Akbar Velayati and Kamal Kharazi, the top advisors to the Supreme Leader on international affairs and foreign policy, along with former foreign minister and head of the Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi.
The Iranian presidency’s website quoted Pezeshkian as saying that his administration’s approach to foreign policy would be “within the framework of a comprehensive strategy aligned with the directives of the governing system,” indirectly referencing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The reformist-backed president stated: “We must treat our friends generously and approach our enemies with patience,” underscoring the importance of managing foreign relations and addressing international tensions to solve internal issues and promote development.
Several officials in Pezeshkian’s administration, along with pro-government newspapers, have hinted at discussions on the possibility of high-level negotiations with the Trump administration.
Earlier on Tuesday, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani stated that Iran would pursue whatever serves its “interests,” in response to a question on potential direct talks with the Trump administration.
“The government will strive to achieve whatever ensures the country’s interests and the values of the revolution,” she said, according to the government’s ISNA news agency.
She added that the final decision on negotiations rests with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Supreme National Security Council under his authority.