French President Emmanuel Macron said he is convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin "does not want peace" but seeks Ukraine’s capitulation, sharpening Paris’s public assessment of Moscow’s intentions in the three-and-a-half-year war. Speaking after a Washington summit on 18 August that brought together U.S. President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and seven European leaders, Macron urged the creation of a “quadrilateral” format that would place Europe at the same table as Trump, Putin and Zelensky in any future negotiations. According to Macron, Trump told him that Putin is prepared to meet Zelensky within the next two weeks and has asked the U.S. leader to help broker a deal. Preparations for such a summit—likely in a neutral European city such as Geneva—are under way, and the EU’s 27 heads of government will hold a video meeting to coordinate their stance. Macron insisted that any agreement must be underpinned by robust security guarantees for Kyiv. He outlined a two-pillar plan: a Ukrainian army of “several hundred thousand well-equipped troops” and allied “reassurance forces” drawn from Britain, France, Germany, Turkey and others. Western partners aim to formalise these guarantees within ten days. While territorial questions were left for direct talks between Moscow and Kyiv, Macron warned that Russia has become a lasting “predator, an ogre at our doors” and said sanctions could be tightened if the Kremlin stalls. He pledged to maintain pressure on Moscow until a “solid and durable” peace is secured.