By Dominique Vidalon and Makini Brice
PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation on Wednesday at around 1900 GMT, he said in a post on social media platform X.
“In this moment of uncertainty, where the world is confronted by large challenges, I will address you tonight,” Macron wrote, as European Union leaders were poised to hold a special summit devoted to defence and Ukraine on Thursday.
Countries in Europe are scrambling to boost defence spending and support for Ukraine in its war against invading Russian forces amid growing doubts over the commitment of the U.S. administration to defending Europe.
Earlier this week, U.S. President Donald Trump paused military aid to Kyiv, his latest move to upend U.S. policy and adopt a more conciliatory stance toward Russia.
France was working on re-establishing ties between the United States and Ukraine to achieve a “lasting and robust peace,” government spokeswoman Sophie Primas said earlier on Wednesday.
“We have proposed a truce … France and Europe are trying to reestablish a link between the United States and Ukraine,” Primas told LCI television.
France and Britain are proposing a partial one-month truce between Russia and Ukraine that would cover air, sea and energy infrastructure attacks but not include ground fighting, Macron and his foreign minister said earlier this week.
The comments came amid a flurry of European diplomacy to shore up Western support for Ukraine after an acrimonious meeting between President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on Friday.
(Reporting by Makini Brice, Editing by Dominique Vidalon and Bernadette Baum)
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