Macron Says Trump Changed Mind on Ukraine War After Initially Believing Ukraine Would Lose

French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Donald Trump, upon returning to the White House in early 2025, initially believed Ukraine would lose its war with Russia but has since reversed that position. Speaking to France TV on June 19, 2026, Macron described how Trump's early pessimism stemmed from a difficult meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, followed by a summit between Trump and Putin that generated hopes for a deal requiring Ukraine to cede territories it had not yet lost. Macron said Trump was told that Ukrainians would "fall" and "not survive the winter," predictions that proved incorrect.

Macron credited European leaders with convincing Trump to reconsider. Following a Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage, European leaders traveled to Washington to persuade the U.S. president that such a territorial arrangement was unacceptable. "Since then, a huge distance has been covered," Macron said, "and this path is above all the victory of the Ukrainians."

These comments came during a G7 summit held in France on June 16-17, 2026, where Zelenskyy was present and met with both Trump and Macron. According to reports, Trump used the occasion to call on fellow G7 leaders to assist the United States with mine clearance operations in the Strait of Hormuz, offering Ukrainian support as an incentive for their participation. The shift in Trump's stated position marks a notable change from his initial skepticism about Ukraine's prospects.