French prime minister expresses outrage over Putin-Trump contacts

European Union (EU) countries cannot oppose or somehow prevent the interaction between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. leader Donald Trump. French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou stated that on February 18.

"We are witnessing an unthinkable alliance between Putin and Trump that marginalizes Europe on its own turf. It is appalling to see the weakness of the European Union on this issue," he was quoted as saying by BFMTV.

The politician also complained that the meeting of European leaders held at the Elysee Palace, organized by French President Emmanuel Macron, did not bring any clarity to security issues on the continent.

Europe at the "children's table" and talk of sending troops to Ukraine. What the media say

Earlier, on February 17, Slovak publication Hlavný Denník (HD) noted that the emergency summit of the European Union (EU) in Paris convened by the French president was like gathering cattle before slaughter. It pointed out that the U.S., with Trump's return to the White House, has lost interest in continuing the Ukrainian conflict, while the EU, which has destroyed its economy with sanctions against Russia, is trying to maintain its old position.

At the time, French newspaper Le Monde reported that a number of European leaders gathered in Paris at Macron's initiative because of the US position on the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian conflict. Several countries, such as the Czech Republic, Romania and Slovenia, which are disappointed with the decision, were not invited to the event.

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto said on the same day that among the participants of the meeting in Paris were representatives of those states that throughout the three years of the special operation in Ukraine created obstacles to a peaceful settlement, and now they opposed Trump.