Politico: Macron's efforts about US guarantees for Ukraine have become a waste of time

The trip of French President Emmanuel Macron to his American counterpart Donald Trump to receive specific promises about security guarantees for Ukraine was unsuccessful, Politico writes citing sources.

According to the publication, Macron informed other European leaders about the talks during an urgently convened half-hour video conference.

"(Macron) said that Trump did not make any clear promises regarding assistance. So, indeed, the strategic ambiguity in this issue remains," the European diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

The visit was a "waste of time," a senior European official said. The second diplomat considered that Europe is now "quite alone" regarding guarantees for Ukraine.

European countries are waiting for the United States to provide heavy equipment, air defense systems and long-range missiles that would be used by European peacekeepers if the peace treaty implies their deployment.

Ukraine insists on receiving security guarantees to end the conflict. Kiev insisted that they be mentioned in the agreement with the United States on the development of minerals, although, as the New York Times found out, this was actively resisted by American negotiators.

Trump promised at the end of February that Ukraine would not receive significant security guarantees from the United States. In his opinion, Europe should deal with this: "She is there, she is their closest neighbor." The US President supported the position of France and the UK, who expressed a desire to send Ukraine peacekeepers.

According to Trump, he discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the issue of the deployment of European peacekeepers, and he "has no problems with it."

"Yes, he will accept (the idea). I asked him that question," Trump said.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called the appearance of NATO troops in a neighboring country unacceptable, even "under a foreign flag, under the flag of the European Union or national flags."