It was an unusually early wake-up for Donald Trump when French President Emmanuel Macron rang him from Kyiv with some big news: a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.
Footage recently released in a France Télévisions documentary shows Macron calling Trump in the early hours of May 10 to report that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had tentatively agreed to European-backed terms for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire with Russia, to be monitored by the US.
“Donald, I know it’s very early for you. I’m sorry to call you at this hour,” Macron says in the recording, before explaining the agreement reached in Kyiv.
Trump’s reaction was classic: a mix of excitement and humor.
“He accepted everything? Oh, well. The Nobel Peace Prize for that,” he joked, referencing an award he has frequently expressed interest in receiving.
Moments later, he praises Macron warmly, muttering, “You’re the best,” as European leaders prepared to brief him further.
Public Warnings Amid Private Talks
The documentary also captures a second sequence, minutes after the initial call, showing Macron standing alongside Zelensky, UK Labour leader Keir Starmer, Poland’s Donald Tusk, and Germany’s Friedrich Merz.
They caution Trump that journalists are nearby while reaffirming the agreement Kyiv had reportedly accepted.
Despite the excitement, the ceasefire hopes quickly fizzled. Just hours later, Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected the proposed truce, instead suggesting “direct negotiations” with Ukraine.
Talks in Istanbul on May 16 were held without either Zelensky or Putin present, as Russia sent junior advisor Vladimir Medinsky.
Further attempts at direct negotiations in the Turkish city in early June also ended in failure.
Macron and Putin: A History of Tense Conversations
This isn’t the first time French television has revealed confidential details of Macron’s high-stakes diplomatic calls.
In 2022, just four days before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a recording exposed a furious telephone clash between Macron and Putin.
The French president blasted Putin over suggestions to negotiate with pro-Russian separatists, exclaiming: “I don’t know where your lawyers learned the law!”
Putin dismissed Macron’s concerns and casually mentioned he was about to play ice hockey, brushing off requests for a meeting with then-US President Joe Biden.
Macron fired back, insisting, “In a sovereign country, the texts of laws are proposed by democratically elected authorities, not separatist groups.”
Putin, in turn, insisted the Ukrainian government came to power through a coup, accusing Zelensky of responsibility for past violence.
Macron’s response was blunt: “We don’t give a damn about the separatists’ proposals!”
The Road Ahead
These recordings provide a rare glimpse into the behind-the-scenes diplomacy shaping one of the world’s most dangerous conflicts.
They highlight both the personal dynamics between world leaders and the challenges of negotiating peace in a high-stakes, high-tension environment.
While ceasefire hopes have repeatedly stalled, the public release of these conversations underscores the complexities and occasional theatricality of international diplomacy.
The world watches as the next chapter in Ukraine’s conflict—and the efforts to mediate it—continues to unfold.
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