French Prime Minister François Bayrou’s minority government is likely to be toppled next month due to his proposal to cut the budget by nearly €44 billion.
Since last summer’s snap elections resulted in a hung parliament, President Macron has unsuccessfully sought to persuade lawmakers to adopt compromise and coalition-building strategies more typical in parliamentary systems like those in Italy and Germany, which are uncommon in France.
When questioned about the possibility of Bayrou’s foreseeable removal leading to another parliamentary dissolution and new elections, Macron dismissed “fictional politics” and ruled out resigning.
In discussions on Friday, Macron and Merz agreed to increase support for Ukraine, especially after significant Russian strikes raised doubts about President Putin’s alleged peace intentions.
Macron announced that leaders from the “coalition of the willing,” a group assisting Ukraine with security guarantees in case of a ceasefire with Russia, will speak with U.S. President Donald Trump this weekend and meet next week.
The French president added that if a meeting between Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not occur by Monday as requested by the U.S. president, it would signify that President Putin has outmaneuvered President Trump.
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