The conflict in Ukraine "will not end tomorrow, nor the day after tomorrow", said French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday, in a warning that was barely disguised as directed at the new US President Donald Trump, who promised a quick end to the war in Ukraine, reported Agence France-Presse, BTA reported.
"There can be no peace and security in Europe without the Europeans and without them being agreed upon by the Europeans", said the French head of state during a speech to the armed forces, delivered yesterday at a base near Rennes.
"The challenge today is to provide Ukraine with 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, as well as guarantees for our own security," he added.
Macron called on Europe to "wake up" and increase its defense spending to reduce its dependence on the United States for security, the Associated Press notes. By this, he was referring to the expected changes in Washington's foreign policy, especially regarding the war in Ukraine. This is an "opportunity for a strategic awakening" for Europe, the French president emphasized in his speech to the military of the Army's Digital and Cyber Support Command, based in western France.
"What will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its warships from the Mediterranean? What if he sends his fighter jets from the Atlantic to the Pacific?" he asked.
Trump criticized the cost of the war in Ukraine to American taxpayers, made in the form of large military aid packages for that country, and made it clear that he wants to shift more of the fiscal burden to Europe. He vowed to bring the conflict to a quick end, expressing hope that peace could be negotiated within six months, the AP recalls.
France and Europe must adapt to changing threats and interests, Macron said. "Who would have thought a year ago that Greenland would be at the center of political and strategic debates?" the French president reminded, referring to Trump's claims to Greenland.