The French president has called US diplomacy a “strategic wake-up” and urged the bloc to stop being so dependent
French President Emmanuel Macron has compared Donald Trump’s return to the White House and his recent steps as US president to an “electroshock” that should force the EU to take charge of its own security and Ukraine’s future.
In an interview with the Financial Times published on Friday, shortly after Trump had a phone talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Macron urged the EU to “muscle up” on its defense and revive the economy. The bloc must embrace the “strategic wake-up,” take on greater responsibility for its own security, and reduce its reliance on both the US and China, he said.
“It is an electroshock. We need asymmetric shocks, we need external shocks. It is an exogenous shock for Europeans,” Macron told the FT.
According to him, the model in which the EU relies on the Chinese market as an “outlet,” the “American umbrella” for security, and “cheap Russian gas” for production no longer exists.
Macron called on the EU to reduce its dependence on US weapons and urged members of the bloc to invest in the Franco-Italian SAMP-T air defense system. He asserted that it was “better” than the US-made Patriot system being used by several EU countries.
The remarks come shortly after Trump and Putin had a conversation during which they agreed to begin negotiations to resolve the Ukraine conflict. The two spoke for nearly 90 minutes by phone on Wednesday, marking the first known direct interaction between the Russian and US heads of state since the escalation of hostilities in 2022.
The phone call followed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s comments that Kiev must accept the reality that returning to pre-2014 borders is not feasible, while NATO membership for Ukraine is off the table.
The FT noted that some EU members have criticized Washington for making apparent concessions to Putin before negotiations have even started. But while many EU leaders felt sidelined by Trump’s decision to discuss a peace plan directly with his Russian counterpart, Macron stated that he was “not surprised” by the US president’s move.
Trump had created a “window of opportunity” for a negotiated solution, where “everyone has to play their role,” he said.
Macron, however, claimed that only Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has the authority to negotiate with Russia to end the conflict, warning that a “peace that is a capitulation” would be “bad news for everyone.”
On Friday, Russia and the US are expected to hold a “high-level” meeting at the Munich Security Conference, Trump has told reporters. American representatives will meet their Russian counterparts to discuss a settlement of the Ukraine conflict, Trump said, adding that “Ukraine is also invited.”
