French President Emmanuel Macron warned that Russia's war against Ukraine will not end "tomorrow or the day after". He was referring to the promise of the new US President Donald Trump to end the war within 24 hours, AFP reported, quoted by BNR.
"Let's not be fooled. "This conflict will not end tomorrow or the day after," Macron said, speaking in Sesson-Sévin in northwestern France.
Macron said it was important to give Ukraine "the means to endure and enter any future negotiations from a position of strength."
"The challenge tomorrow, when hostilities cease, will be to give Ukraine guarantees against a possible return to war on its territory and guarantees for our own security," the French leader said.
He has repeatedly called on Europe to take greater responsibility for its own defense and repeated that call.
"There can be no peace and security in Europe without Europeans," Macron said, referring to the war in Ukraine and Europe's participation in the negotiations.
"What will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its warships from the Mediterranean? If it sends its fighter jets from the Atlantic to the Pacific?“, Macron asked.
"The answer will have to come from us,“, he added.
In 2023, France adopted a military budget of 413 billion euros for the period 2024-2030 - the most significant increase in spending in decades.