French President Emmanuel Macron has renewed his call for Europe to take more responsibility for its own defence, arguing that the continent has “too long avoided bearing the burden of its own security”.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Paris following Donald Trump’s re-election as US President, Macron said he was “delighted” that more nations were aligning with his push for collective investment in defence.
“It’s the agenda of European strategic autonomy that will allow us to have more money, to build capacity and autonomy for the Europeans, and an ability to cooperate with our non-European allies as part of the alliance,” Macron said.
Trump has questioned Washington’s commitment to NATO and has discussed reducing support to Ukraine or making a deal with Russia to end its invasion, which has dragged on for years.
His return to the White House pushes Europeans – long reliant on US military protection, both conventional and nuclear – to reconsider their own defence strategies.
Macron urges European leaders to ‘write our own history’ at joint summit
Macron urges European leaders to ‘write our own history’ at joint summit
‘Homegrown military capacity’
“We must stand together – Europe, North America and our global partners. We have to keep our trans-atlantic alliance strong,” he added.
(with AFP)
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