French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the United States could be preparing to “betray” Ukraine, Politico reported, citing a leaked transcript of a call between European leaders discussing support for Kiev published by German magazine Der Spiegel.

The phone call, held on Monday, included Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and others. The discussion reportedly centered around US-led peace talks involving Kiev and Moscow.

“There is a possibility that the US will betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarity on security guarantees,” Der Spiegel quoted Macron as saying, adding that there was “a great danger” for Zelensky. The Élysée Palace did not respond to a request for comment from POLITICO. However, Spiegel noted that Macron’s office denied he used the term "betrayal", stating, “The president did not use those words.”

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European leaders react to peace talks

Friedrich Merz echoed Macron’s caution, warning that Zelensky must be “extremely careful in the coming days.”

“They are playing games, both with you and with us,” Merz said, apparently referring to Washington’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of US President Donald Trump, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin for five hours on Tuesday.

Merz’s spokesperson Stefan Kornelius declined to confirm or comment on the reported conversation, telling POLITICO, “As a matter of principle, I do not confirm or comment on snippets of conversation.”

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Merz, Rutte, and Stubb express concerns

According to the leaked transcript, Stubb agreed with Merz. “We cannot leave Ukraine and Volodymyr alone with these guys,” he said, seemingly referencing Witkoff and Kushner. Rutte agreed, stating, “I agree with Alexander — we must protect Volodymyr [Zelensky].” NATO declined to comment when contacted by POLITICO.

A Ukrainian diplomat, granted anonymity, criticized the release of the transcript: “We consider it incorrect to publish any alleged transcripts of the leaders’ conversations, which could harm the diplomatic process — we neither confirm nor deny any of the above.”

“In general, only the Russians benefit from any splits between Europe and America, so our consistent position is that transatlantic unity must be maintained,” the diplomat added. Zelensky’s office declined to comment.

Kremlin-backed plan sparks discontent

The call came after the Trump administration circulated a 28-point peace proposal. The plan, reportedly drafted by Kremlin-linked envoy Kirill Dmitriev, Witkoff, and Kushner, was criticized by Ukraine and European officials for favoring Russia. The backlash triggered intense diplomatic activity in Geneva.

Subsequent discussions between Ukrainian, European, and American representatives led to a revised 19-point plan. Moscow has not accepted the updated version and continues to demand significant concessions: the surrender of eastern territories not under Russian control, limitations on Ukraine’s military capabilities, and new elections.

Read more: US-Ukraine talks include election plans, territorial swap proposals

Disagreement over frozen Russian assets

The leaders also discussed the future of Russia’s frozen assets, Spiegel reported. Some participants argued that seizing Moscow’s billions to fund financial and military aid for Ukraine should be a European decision, not one led by the United States.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and European Council President António Costa also took part in the call, according to the report.

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