Wake up, spend more on defence: France Prez Macron tells Europe

Cesson-sevigne (France): French President Emmanuel Macron called on Europe Monday to “wake up” and spend more on defence, in a speech to the French military as Donald Trump returns to power.

Macron referred to expected changes in Washington’s foreign policies especially regarding the war in Ukraine and said this is an “opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call”. “What will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its warships from the Mediterranean? If they send their fighter jets from the Atlantic to the Pacific?” he asked.

He said providing lasting support to Ukraine is key so that Kyiv is in a strong position when engaging in any future peace negotiations.

Trump has criticised the cost of the war in Ukraine for US taxpayers through major military aid packages and vowed to bring the conflict to a swift end. He also has made it clear that he wants to shift more of the burden of Ukraine onto Europe. Ukraine must receive “guarantees” against any return of the war on its territory when hostilities cease and Europe must take “play its full role” in the process, he said.

Last week, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed with Macron about the possibility of Western troops deploying in Ukraine to safeguard any peace deal ending the nearly three-year war with Russia. “As one of these guarantees, we discussed the French initiative to deploy military contingents in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.