Macron rejects Trump's idea for Putin to mediate Israel-Iran crisis
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to members of media as he arrives at Nuuk Airport in Nuuk, Greenland, June 15, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Mads Claus Rasmussen/via REUTERS
PARIS/COPENHAGEN - French President Emmanuel Macron, during a visit to Greenland to offer his support to the Arctic island, said on Sunday that Russia lacked the credibility to mediate the crisis between Israel and Iran as U.S. President Donald Trump has suggested.
In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, Trump said he was open to Putin, whose forces invaded Ukraine and who has resisted Trump's attempts to broker a ceasefire with Kyiv, mediating between Israel and Iran. Macron said he rejected such an idea.
"I do not believe that Russia, which is now engaged in a high-intensity conflict and has decided not to respect the UN Charter for several years now, can be a mediator," Macron said.
He also said France did not take part in any of Israel's attacks against Iran.
Macron was visiting Greenland, a self-governing part of Denmark with the right to declare independence that Trump has threatened to take over, ahead of a trip to Canada for the Group of Seven Leaders' summit.
In a press conference alongside Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Macron said the island was threatened by "predatory ambition," and that its situation was a wakeup call for all Europeans.
"Greenland is not to be sold, not to be taken," he said, adding that he has spoken with Trump ahead of his trip, and would speak with him about Greenland at the G7. "I think there is a way forward in order to clearly build a better future in cooperation and not in provocation or confrontation."
However, Macron said he ultimately doubted the United States would invade Greenland.
"I don't believe that in the end, the US, which is an ally and a friend, will ever do something aggressive against another ally," he said, adding he believed "the United States of America remains engaged in NATO and our key and historical alliances."
Trump has said he wants the United States to take over the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island, and has not ruled out force. His vice president, JD Vance, visited a U.S. military base there in March.
Macron is the first foreign leader to visit Greenland since Trump's explicit threats to "get" the island.
According to an IFOP poll for NYC.eu published on Saturday, 77% of French people and 56% of Americans disapprove of an annexation of Greenland by the U.S. and 43% of the French would back using French military power to prevent a U.S. invasion.
Denmark's Frederiksen made several visits to Paris after Trump's threats to seek French and European backing, and has placed orders for French-made surface-to-air missiles, in a shift of focus for Copenhagen. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
22 minutes ago
- Straits Times
India expects EU trade deal by year end as Cyprus pledges support
Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi talk during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia, Cyprus June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides hold a joint press conference after their meeting at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 16, 2025. Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via REUTERS Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 16, 2025. Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via REUTERS India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides after their meeting at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 16, 2025. Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via REUTERS India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks to the press after his meeting with Cyprus' president at the presidential palace in Nicosia, Cyprus, June 16, 2025. Iakovos Hatzistavrou/Pool via REUTERS NICOSIA - India expects to finalise a free trade agreement with the European Union by the end of this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday, while Cyprus, which assumes the EU presidency in 2026, said better ties would be its priority. Modi, on an official visit to the east Mediterranean island, said there were unlimited possibilities in expanding economic ties with Cyprus in a visit aimed at pushing forward India's global trade agenda. "We are working on finalising a mutually beneficial India-EU trade agreement by the end of this year," Modi said in joint remarks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. India is pursuing a trade link by sea and rail known as the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor, but the visit is being held in the shadow of an escalating crisis in the Middle East."We agree the India - Middle East Europe Corridor will pave the way for peace and prosperity in the region," Modi said. Cyprus, which has close relations with India through its shared membership of the Commonwealth, is offering facilities to be a first point of entry to Europe and a transhipment hub, Christodoulides said. "A strengthening of EU-India relations will be among the priorities of the Cypriot EU presidency," Christodoulides said. Cyprus assumes the rotating six-month presidency of the bloc in early 2026. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Seeking unity, G7 meets amid escalating Ukraine, Middle East conflicts
Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba arrives before world leaders meet in Kananaskis for the G7 leaders' summit, at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Amber Bracken/Pool Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks with Germany's Chancellor Friedrich Merz before the G7 Leaders' Summit, in the Rocky Mountains resort town of Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/Pool France's President Emmanuel Macron arrives before world leaders meet in Kananaskis for the G7 leaders' summit, at Calgary International Airport in Calgary, Alberta, Canada June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Amber Bracken/Pool U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to attend the G7 Leaders' Summit at the Rocky Mountain resort town of Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Chris Helgren/Pool A backdrop sign for the G7 Leaders Summit in the Rocky Mountains resort of Kananaskis is seen outside the media center in Banff, Alberta, Canada June 15, 2025. REUTERS/Chris Helgren KANANASKIS, Alberta - Leaders from the Group of Seven nations begin annual talks on Monday amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East that add to global economic uncertainty, as host Canada tries to avoid a clash with U.S. President Donald Trump. The G7 leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S., along with the European Union, are convening in the resort of Kananaskis in the Canadian Rockies until Tuesday. But beyond the serene and picturesque mountain setting, they confront challenges. The first five months of Trump's second term upended foreign policy on Ukraine, raised anxiety over his closer ties to Russia and resulted in tariffs on U.S. allies. With an escalating Israel-Iran conflict, which is spiking global oil prices, the summit in Canada is seen as a vital moment to try and restore a semblance of unity between democratic powerhouses. "The most important goal will be for the world's seven largest industrial nations to reach agreement and take action," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said before attending his first G7. That will not be easy. After years of consensus, the traditional allies have scrambled to keep Trump engaged and maintain unity. Canada has abandoned any effort to adopt an all-encompassing comprehensive communique to avert a repeat of a 2018 summit in Quebec, when Trump instructed the U.S. delegation to withdraw its approval of the final communique after leaving. Instead, Ottawa has sought to get consensus for a chair's statement that summarizes the key discussions and six other pre-negotiated declarations on issues such as migration, artificial intelligence and forest fires. Talks on Monday will centre around the economy, advancing trade deals, and China. Efforts to reach an agreement to lower the G7 price cap on Russian oil even if Trump decided to opt out have been complicated by the surge in oil prices since Israel launched strikes on Iran on June 12, two diplomatic sources said. The escalation between the two regional foes is on the agenda, with diplomatic sources saying they hope to achieve at least a joint statement to urge restraint and a return to diplomacy. "We are united. Nobody wants to see Iran get a nuclear weapon and everyone wants discussions and negotiations to restart," France's President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Greenland on Sunday before travelling to Canada. He added that given Israel's dependence on U.S. weapons and munitions, Washington had the capacity to restart negotiations. Trump said on Sunday many calls and meetings were taking place to broker peace. RUSSIAN ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Highlighting the unease among some of Washington's allies, Trump spoke on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested the Russian leader could play a mediation role. Macron dismissed the idea, arguing that Moscow could not be a negotiator because it had started an illegal war against Ukraine. A European diplomat said Trump's suggestion showed that Russia, despite being kicked out of the group in 2014 after annexing Crimea, was very much on U.S. minds. "In the eyes of the U.S., there's no condemnation for Ukraine; no peace without Russia; and now even credit for its mediation role with Iran. For Europeans, this will be a really tough G7," the diplomat said. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will attend the summit on Tuesday. European officials said they hoped to use the meeting, and next week's NATO summit, to convince Trump to toughen his stance on Putin. "The G7 should have the objective for us to converge again, for Ukraine to get a ceasefire to lead to a robust and lasting peace, and in my view it's a question of seeing whether President Trump is ready to put forward much tougher sanctions on Russia," Macron said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
IAEA chief says no further damage at Iranian enrichment facilities
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi looks on, on the day of an exceptional meeting of the agency's Board of Governors to discuss Israel's strike on Iran that have hit nuclear targets including the Natanz nuclear complex, at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl VIENNA - U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi provided an update on Monday on the situation at Iran's nuclear facilities after Israel launched military strikes and said there was no sign of further damage at the Natanz or Fordow enrichment sites. Grossi and the International Atomic Energy Agency he heads had previously reported that the smallest of Iran's three enrichment plants, an above-ground pilot plant at the sprawling Natanz nuclear complex, had been destroyed. While there was no sign of a physical attack on the bigger underground enrichment plant at Natanz, its power supply was destroyed, which may have damaged the uranium-enriching centrifuges there. No damage was seen at the Fordow plant dug into a mountain. "There has been no additional damage at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant site since the Friday attack, which destroyed the above-ground part of the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant," Grossi said in a statement to an exceptional meeting of his agency's 35-nation Board of Governors. Having said over the weekend that Israeli strikes damaged four buildings at the Isfahan nuclear facilities including the uranium conversion facility that processes "yellowcake" uranium into uranium hexafluoride, the feedstock for centrifuges, so it can be enriched, he elaborated on the damage there. "At the Esfahan nuclear site, four buildings were damaged in Friday's attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor fuel manufacturing plant, and the UF4 (uranium tetrafluoride) to EU metal processing facility, which was under construction," he said. "The (International Atomic Energy) Agency is and will remain present in Iran. Safeguards inspections in Iran will continue as soon as safety conditions allow, as is required under Iran's NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty) safeguards obligations," he added. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
