French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz expressed skepticism about the direction the United States is taking in negotiating peace between Ukraine and Russia, according to Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine, which cited a leaked confidential call transcript.

During a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other European leaders, Macron reportedly warned that the U.S. might "insist that Kyiv cede territory to Moscow without guarantees to prevent future Russian aggression," the magazine reported Thursday.

Der Spiegel also quoted Macron as saying there is "a possibility that the United States could betray Ukraine on the issue of territory without clarifying security guarantees."

Meanwhile, Merz warned Zelensky during the Monday call that American negotiators were "playing games" and that he should "be very cautious" in the coming days, according to the report.

However, the Élysée Palace stated that "the president did not express himself in those exact words."

When asked for comment, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pascal Confavreux said at a press conference, "I don’t imagine commenting on alleged leaks. There can be no doubt about our support for Ukraine and our frequent communication with the American side."

European leaders had gathered on Monday to show support for Zelensky following U.S.-Ukrainian talks that reviewed a peace proposal initially seen as favoring Russia, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin received American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner at the Kremlin on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the path forward for peace talks remains unclear after what he described as "somewhat good" discussions between his envoys and Putin.