Macron "should approach the territorial issue of Ukraine realistically"

While U.S. President-elect Trump has vowed to quickly end the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron has said Ukraine should take a realistic approach to territorial matters.

"Ukrainians have to have realistic discussions about territorial issues, which is something only they can do," Macron said in a New Year's address to French ambassadors on June 6 local time.

This is the first time President Macron, who has insisted on Ukraine's territorial integrity, has called for a "realistic" approach to Ukraine and hinted at territorial concessions.

However, Macron stressed that "there will be no quick and easy solution" to the war in Ukraine and that "a quick solution that implies Ukraine's surrender will not benefit Europeans or the United States."

"The United States must help us change the situation in Ukraine and persuade Russia to come to the negotiating table," he said, adding that Europe must provide guarantees for Ukraine's security.

In his speech, Macron also reaffirmed his willingness to cooperate with Trump, saying France would be his "solid ally."

Trump's special envoy for negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, which originally planned to visit Ukraine and Europe earlier this month before the inauguration of Trump's second administration, has postponed his trip until after taking office, Reuters reported, citing multiple sources.

Ukraine-Russia envoy-designate Keith Kellogg, 80, will visit Ukraine after Trump's inauguration and it is not known why his specific schedule or trip has been delayed, Reuters said.