By Sylvia Corbet
Cesson-Sevigne, France: French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Europe to “wake up” and spend more on defence in order to reduce its reliance on the United States for its security, in a speech to the French military just as Donald Trump was inaugurated.
Without mentioning Trump by name, Macron referred to expected changes in Washington’s foreign policy, especially regarding the war in Ukraine, saying it was an “opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call.” It was his New Year’s speech to the military at the Army Digital and Cyber Support Command based near Rennes in western France.
“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.
French President Emmanuel Macron reacts as he delivers his New Year speech to the French Army as he visits at the Digital Support and Cyber Command (CATNC) of the French Army, in Cesson-Sevigne, western France.Credit: AP
Trump has criticised the cost of the war in Ukraine for US taxpayers through major military aid packages and has made it clear that he wants to shift more of the fiscal burden onto Europe. He has vowed to bring the conflict to a swift end, even vowing to end it within 24 hours of taking office.
“Let’s not fool ourselves, this conflict will not be resolved tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow,” Macron said, adding that peace in Europe required Europeans to be at the negotiating table.
He also said Russia would pose a security challenge for Europe and the wider world for a long time, even if there was an end to the war in Ukraine.
France and Europe needed to adapt to evolving threats and changing interests. “Who would have thought a year ago that Greenland would be at the centre of political and strategic debates? That’s the way it is.”
French President Emmanuel Macron reviews the troops in Cesson-Sevigne.Credit: AP
He said providing lasting support to Ukraine was key so that Kyiv would be in a strong position when engaging in any future peace negotiations.
Ukraine must receive “guarantees” against any return of the war on its territory when hostilities cease and Europe must “play its full role” in the process, he said.
Last week, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed with Macron the possibility of Western troops deploying in Ukraine to safeguard any peace deal ending the nearly three-year war with Russia.
France, which has a large defence industry, has often complained when other European Union members have opted to buy US weapons when French or European alternatives exist.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his New Year speech to the French Army.Credit: AP
Germany’s 2022 decision to launch the “European Sky Shield” air-defence system with US and Israeli hardware, ignoring a Franco-Italian alternative, particularly angered Macron.
“We can’t raise debt together, spend more for our defence to subsidise the industry, wealth and jobs of other continents.
“When we say ‘let’s spend more for our armies’, in many countries it means, way too often, ‘buy more American materiel’.”
Such concerns have long been dismissed as self-serving by countries that have relied on the US security umbrella since at least World War II. But Trump’s more aggressive stance has made EU members more receptive.
Macron said Europeans should also simplify the European defence industry. Europe has 47 different industrial platforms for its naval industry while the US has only six, he said.
He called for more joint European weapons development, even without French companies in the lead, adding: “We won’t always be the European champions. But at least we’ll be sure the European champions have a global reach.”
Macron said France now had “Europe’s most efficient army” and met NATO’s military budget target of 2 per cent of GDP, but could not rest on its laurels at a time when the US might withdraw troops from Europe.
And he suggested that 2 per cent might not be enough “when the world is going off track”.
AP, Reuters