French president Emmanuel Macron says EU ‘has to be ready’ to take on Russia alone after US freezes Ukraine aid
In the wake of the turbulence caused by Donald Trump, one world leader has taken it upon himself to warn the EU of the looming worst-case scenario.
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In the wake of Donald Trump’s cancelling of military aid to Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron has taken it upon himself to warn his European neighbours of a potential nightmare scenario involving Russia.
Trump’s insistence on taking the middle ground in an effort to sign an immediate ceasefire deal has seen him labelled a “Russian asset” by his most ardent detractors.
The US President’s inflammatory comments made in his attempt to secure support from Zelensky to broker a deal with Vladimir Putin have been interpreted as hostile, despite the fact the end result would mean a swift end to the daily bloodshed.
Zelensky initially refused to come to the table, saying Putin’s guarantees have been broken in the past and that Ukraine could not put pen to paper until there were assurances Russia would never return.
Meanwhile, Macron has doubled down on France’s position and implored the EU to think about its future, should ties be severed with the US under Trump.
In a nationally televised address this week, Macron warned that Russia’s aggression “knows no borders” and won’t stop at Ukraine, urging France and Europe to prepare for a long period of providing extra funding to repel the invading force.
“I want to believe the US will stay by our side,” Macron said. “But we have to be ready if that isn’t the case.”
Macron acknowledged the growing public anxiety over what his office called Ukraine crisis, European security, and a looming trade war.
“The war in Ukraine, which has left almost one million dead and injured, continues with the same intensity,” Macron said. “The US, our ally, has changed its position on this war, supporting Ukraine less and allowing doubt to linger on what will come next.”
Warning that Europe is entering “a new era” with increasing brutality, Macron argued that it would be “madness to stay a spectator in this world of danger”.
He vowed that France and Europe must support Ukraine “until it can negotiate a peace that is solid for themselves and for all of us”.
Taking an apparent swipe at Trump’s push for a Ukraine-Russia peace deal, Macron added: “Peace cannot be concluded at any price.”
Trump rattled the cage further during his address to the US Congress yesterday, pointing out that Europe has spent 200 billion euros on Russian fossil fuels since the war began.
‘Europe’s future should not be decided by Washington or Moscow’
Macron stressed that European forces deployed to Ukraine would not be involved in frontline combat, but rather act as a security guarantee once peace is achieved.
He also announced discussions on whether France’s nuclear deterrence should extend to other European countries, though control would always remain with the French president.
“Europe’s future should not be decided in Washington or Moscow,” Macron declared. “And yes, the threat from the east is returning. The innocence of these 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall is over.”
Beyond the battlefield, Macron also criticised Trump’s move to impose tariffs on European goods, calling it “incomprehensible, as much for the American economy as ours”.
He said Europe would respond, though he hoped to persuade Trump to back down.
EU’s $255 billion rearmament plan
The Brussels defence summit on Thursday will bring together Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the 27 EU leaders.
The gathering comes just days after Trump’s explosive Oval Office confrontation with Zelensky and his pause on all critical US military aid to Kyiv.
As EU leaders scramble to fill the security gap, discussions will centre around a €150 billion ($A255 billion) rearmament plan to bolster European defence spending.
Stocks in European arms manufacturers have soared this week as a result.
Macron hosted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for a working dinner at the Élysée Palace on Wednesday ahead of the summit. Orbán, one of Trump and Putin’s closest allies in the EU, has repeatedly broken European unity on Ukraine and described the growing US-EU divide as “unbridgeable”.
“Some want war and some want peace. This is the challenge we will have to face on Thursday,” Orbán said.
Despite the fractures within Europe, an Élysée official described the summit as “a new moment in the consolidation of European unity” and emphasised that Ukraine must be fully involved in any decisions about its future.
While facing political turbulence at home, Macron appears to be gaining some support due to his diplomatic efforts.
A recent poll showed a slight boost in his confidence ratings following his visit to Washington.
However, his push for higher defence spending comes at a time when the government is also struggling to reduce France’s budget deficit— a balancing act that could define his next political phase.
Originally published as French president Emmanuel Macron says EU ‘has to be ready’ to take on Russia alone after US freezes Ukraine aid
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