Macron Renews Push for Ukraine’s NATO Entry as Us-led Peace Efforts Stall
French President, Emmanuel Macron has renewed his backing for Ukraine’s membership of NATO, saying the country has a rightful place in the alliance.
The remarks, reported on Sunday and made in a post on X, come as Washington and Moscow try to broker an end to the war.
Macron reportedly argued that Ukraine, which has Europe’s strongest conventional military force, plays an important role alongside the alliance and should be given its place within it. Earlier this week, he also reportedly urged European countries to keep supporting Kyiv through the winter and said Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing no genuine readiness for peace talks.
Macron is also said to have noted that American backing for Ukraine has dried up, so Europe must take the lead.
His position is consistent with his earlier stance. In February 2025, he called for Ukraine’s automatic NATO membership if Russia violated a ceasefire, and he has repeatedly said Moscow should have no veto over Kyiv’s path to the alliance. France, Britain and Ukraine also signed a declaration of intent in January this year on deploying a multinational force after any ceasefire.
The timing is significant. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that US negotiators had floated the idea of Ukraine withdrawing from the Donbas region in exchange for NATO membership, the first time the question had been raised, following US-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi that ended without a breakthrough. An earlier report by The Economist, citing Ukrainian officials, said one US proposal offered Kyiv an investment package and European Union membership in return for dropping its NATO bid. President Donald Trump has opposed Ukrainian membership, and Macron said in August that Washington was willing to offer security guarantees after a settlement but not NATO membership.
Moscow has long cited NATO expansion as justification for its invasion, a claim Kyiv and its allies reject. Membership also requires the agreement of all existing members, and there is no sign of consensus.
