Emmanuel Macron should describe Donald Trump’s return as “electroshock,” and force Europe to secure his own future and Ukrainian ones.
In an interview at Elise Palace shortly after Trump agreed with Russian Vladimir Putin to negotiate an imminent peace talks, the French president recounted the need for Europe to “muscular” to defense and economy. I defended it.
He argued that only Ukrainian President Voldime Zelenkie could negotiate on behalf of his country, and allowing “peace, which is surrender,” is “bad news for everyone,” including the United States. I warned him.
“The only question at this stage is whether Putin is genuine, sustainable and willing to agree to a ceasefire based on this standard. It will then be up to the Ukrainians to negotiate with Russia.” Macron said.
French leaders have long argued that Europe should assume more responsibility for its own security. This is only possible by increasing economic independence and reducing dependence on the US and China.
He described Trump’s return to the White House as a shock that pushes the EU to invest in its own defense and economic and technical revival. It meant abandoning the fiscal and financial framework originally agreed by the EU in 1992, which he described as “outdated.”
“This is a moment of acceleration and execution in Europe,” he said, warning of the risk of EU failure. “It has no choice. It’s running out of roads.”
Whether Macron can link other European countries to his programme is an open question, especially as he has been severely weakened at home and in Brussels by political paralysis that followed last year’s SNAP election. . France’s depleted finances also limit its own ability to invest in defence and other priorities.
Nevertheless, the French president supports the Trump administration’s position that it is Europe’s responsibility to ensure Ukraine’s security, which is the generational and ultra-higher American foreign policy priorities from Europe to Asia. He said it stems from partisan changes.
U.S. unilateralism did not begin with Trump’s return to power, Macron added, and he was previously told by the Biden administration about “Occas” nuclear submarine deals with Australia and the UK, or withdrawal from Afghanistan. He pointed out that he didn’t receive the phone.
“What Trump is saying to Europe is that it’s up to you to take on the burden, and I’m up to us to take on it,” Macron said.
Many European leaders responded violently to talks with Putin to end the war in Ukraine, but Macron seemed more optimistic. Speaking to Trump on the phone earlier in the week, Macron said he was “not surprised” by the US president’s move.
He said Trump created a “window of opportunity” for the negotiated solution.
The US role is to “resuming this dialogue” and take the initiative as Trump brought about “an element of strategic disruption.” He said that discussing the “issues of territory and sovereignty” would be Zelenki’s “single.” And it’s up to the international community that plays a specific role for Europeans, and it’s about discussing security assurances and a broader, regional security framework, where we have the role we play. .”
Other European allies denounce Washington’s obvious concessions to Putin before talks begin, including excluding Ukraine’s NATO membership and describing a full recovery of its territory as an “illusion” I did.
However, Macron said at the time of the interview that Kiev’s joining NATO “is not a realistic outcome” was not the US President, but the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses. (Trump later said he thought the membership was “not practical.”
Macron has been leading debate among European allies on ways to guarantee a peace agreement, including the possibility of deploying troops in Ukraine to stop further Russian invasions.
Zelenskyy says only a force of 150,000 to 200,000 men with US involvement will stop Russia from attacking again. Deployment on this scale is adjacent to Europe’s depleted military forces.
Macron was premature to talk about numbers, but such a massive development was “far away” and “that was appropriate, realistic, well thought out, measured and negotiated.” “We have to do that.”
Asked about Trump’s threat to Greenland annex, Macron said the US president’s concerns about the security of maritime routes in the Arctic are “great” but should be addressed collectively by NATO allies. Ta. He said he asked NATO Secretary-General, General Mark Latte, to develop strategies for Arctic security, including the possibility of joint military operations.
When it comes to Trump’s proposal to redevelop Gaza, Macron was even dull as he drove a strong population of 2.2 million into neighboring Arab countries. Expelling Gazan is “very dangerous.”
“For me, the solution is not a real estate solution. It’s a political solution.”
Trump’s designs about Gaza and Greenland were examples of “extreme strategic uncertainty” that the world currently lives in, Macron said. It called for a radical rethinking of how the EU and its member states operate.
“It’s an electro shock. You need an asymmetric shock. You need an external shock. You need an exogenous shock for Europeans.”
It helps bring clarity to the Europeans who thought they could still live in a state of “strategic dependency.”
“This model says you have the Chinese market as an outlet. You have an American umbrella for our security.
For Europe to achieve the “strategic awakening” that Macron pleads with, both strengthening defense and rekindling stagnates, and stagnating growth with all deregulation and economic integration from capital markets to energy. Both must be needed. The advantages of its size.
On defense, Macron said it must build capacity to ensure Europe can act “even when the US is not involved.”
However, even three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, changes within the defense industry have ceased. While ammunition and missile production capacity is rising, European defense companies are too fragmented to produce at large scale.
Countries also continue to marry defense companies, often wary of joint development programs and even more wary of cross-border mergers that can create European defence champions.
Again, Macron urged Europe to rely on the purchase of US weapons, a longtime French priority, and told the partners should buy Franco-Italian Samp-T air defense system. He said it was “better” than the US equivalent Patriot, which is already used in several EU countries.
“We must also develop a fully integrated European defence, industry and technology foundation,” Macron said. “This goes far beyond the simple discussion of spending numbers. All we do is become a bigger client in the US, and in 20 years we will solve the issue of European sovereignty. There is none.”
To allow European countries to invest more in defense, Macron has argued for more “innovative fundraising solutions” that could include more common EU borrowings made during the coronavirus pandemic . So far, Germany has been stubbornly opposed. Macron said he hopes the stance will evolve after the Feb. 23rd German federal election.
The challenges in Europe have been as serious as they were during the pandemic, he said. To deal with them, Europe had to free themselves from the deficit cap under the EU growth and stability agreement. “It’s outdated,” he said of the EU rules. “The financial and financial framework we live in is outdated.”
“Europe is insufficient as Europe needs to invest in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, green transitions and security.”
Macron also called for a rollback of EU regulations that he threw as troublesome and unrealistic. This includes the EU’s corporate sustainability reporting directive and looming fines for car manufacturers that do not meet their electric vehicle allocations. He also warned that Europe should not handicapped banks by applying stricter capital requirements, as the US appears to be set to ignore internationally agreed rules. .
But Macron got in the way when asked if the EU needed a unique version of Trump’s so-called government efficiency (DOGE), which unleashed billionaire Elon Musk to cut government spending. did. “It requires dramatic simplification… It’s better to make bold and politically responsible decisions than to demolish everything.”
Macron admitted that Europe would no longer have “five to ten years” to strengthen, and for a term ending in 2027. Beware of the growing impact on EU lives.
However, Macron still has faith in his ability to persuade him. “I still believe in it,” he said, adding characteristically intellectual prosperity. “I love Renaissance humanism and enlightenment philosophy. That’s why they created us. And I don’t think those ideas are old-fashioned. On the contrary, we have to reinvent them. I think so.”
