Macron’s diplomatic comeback: from France’s domestic crisis to reshaping Europe’s defence

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron is back at the centre of global diplomacy, seeking to ease relations with President Donald Trump, championing a Ukraine peace plan alongside his British counterpart, and seeing his longstanding desire to boost European defence turning into reality.

Six months ago, Macron seemed weaker than ever after his call for early legislative elections produced a hung parliament, sparking an unprecedented crisis.

Known for his nonstop political activism, Macron shifted his focus to foreign policy, leaving domestic struggles largely to the prime minister.

Now, he appears as the one leader who speaks to Trump several times per week and takes the lead in European support for Ukraine, while positioning himself as the commander-in-chief of the European Union’s only nuclear power.

Macron, 47, is one of the few leaders who knew Trump during his first term in office, maintaining despite disagreements a cordial relationship, which both describe as “friendship”.

He was the first European leader to visit Trump since his re-election, seeking to persuade him not to abandon Ukraine in pursuit of a peace deal with Russia.

Macron is also a heavyweight of European politics, and shifting US policies gave momentum to his longstanding views.

Since he was first elected in 2017, Macron has pushed for a stronger, more sovereign Europe.

That same year, in a sweeping speech at Sorbonne University, he called for a

common European defence policy, with increased military cooperation and joint defence initiatives.

He later lamented the “brain death” of the NATO military alliance, insisting the EU should step up and start acting as a strategic world power.

On Thursday, EU leaders committed to strengthening defences and freeing up hundreds of billions of euros for security in the wake of Trump’s warnings that they might face the Russian threat alone.

In a resounding declaration last week, Macron announced he would discuss extending France’s nuclear deterrent to European partners to help protect the continent.

France’s nuclear power is inherited from the strategy set by wartime hero Gen. Charles de Gaulle, president from 1958 to 1969, who sought to maintain France’s independence from the US and assert the country’s role as a global power.

That went through the development of an independent French nuclear arsenal.

France’s Minister for European affairs Benjamin Haddad praised Macron’s efforts, saying they were aimed at ensuring that “in the face of this world upheaval, Europeans are not spectators but players”.

Some other key players appear to back Macron’s approach.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in office for eight months, has sought closer defence cooperation with Europe as part of a “reset” with the EU after years of bitterness over Brexit.

Macron and Starmer are now spearheading a desperate diplomatic drive to bolster Ukraine’s defences, drawing up a peace plan with Kyiv at its core.

That plan includes the possibility of sending European troops to Ukraine to enforce a potential peace agreement.

Meanwhile, Germany’s conservative election winner Friedrich Merz said his top priority would be to “strengthen Europe as soon as possible” and gradually move toward “real independence” from the US.