PARIS — In a rallying call to the French nation and Europe as a whole, President Emmanuel Macron addressed the urgent need to defend “democracy and a certain idea of truth,” as US threatens to move away from Europe, and halt support to Ukraine.
During a television address lasting just under fifteen minutes on the eve of a special meeting of the European Council, Macron acknowledged that Europeans were “rightfully concerned by events shaking the world order” - and it is time for the EU to start acting.
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Following days of intense diplomatic upsets that saw the transatlantic alliance more at threat than ever and US support to Ukraine halted, the French president struck a solemn and resolute tone, identifying two immediate dangers.
The first stems from the “Russian menace,” which has already turned the war in Ukraine into a “global” conflict by deploying North Korean soldiers and Iranian weapons on European soil. With Moscow spending “more than 40% of its budget” on military armament, it would be “madness” to remain “a mere spectator,” Macron stated.
The second threat lies with the United States, which has imposed “incomprehensible” tariffs—although Macron still hopes to “dissuade” President Trump from triggering a full-scale trade war.
“The future of Europe must not be decided in Washington or Moscow,” he declared gravely, insisting that the EU must be ready for a world in which the US could no longer be an ally.
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‘Budgetary choices’
To respond to these challenges, Macron urged Europe to act collectively and—crucially—to build military capabilities that can deter further aggression.
He called for a substantial increase in EU member states’ defence budgets, “without this being counted as part of their deficits”, alongside “massive joint funding to buy and produce military equipment on European soil” - echoing draft European Summit conclusions, seen by Euractiv.
The French president pledged that France would make “additional investments” in defence, while insisting that “taxes will not be raised”—a promise that will inevitably require “budgetary choices”, in a context where France’s public deficit has already surged to 6% of GDP in 2024.
Macron also proposed opening a “strategic debate” to extend France’s nuclear arsenal to European allies, echoing the historic call from Germany’s likely future chancellor, Friedrich Merz. However, he stressed that any final decision on a nuclear strike would “remain solely in the hands” of the French president.
Lastly, he raised the prospect of deploying European troops to Ukraine if a peace deal with Moscow were to be reached. Macron announced that the chiefs of staff of the nations willing to participate in such an operation would meet in Paris next week.
After the political turmoil of last summer’s ill-fated dissolution of the National Assembly, Macron has regained an international stature in recent weeks, taking the lead in Europe’s response, challenging Donald Trump in the Oval Office, and continuing his long-standing push—dating back to 2017—for the creation of a European defence.
“European defence is becoming a reality,” he said.
“Our generation will no longer reap the dividends of peace, but it is up to us to ensure that our children will one day benefit from the dividends of our commitments,” he told the French people.
Now, words must be turned into action.
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