Donald Trump has criticised the cost of US military assistance to Ukraine and aims to transfer a greater share of responsibility to Europe.
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French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for Europe to "wake up" and increase its defence spending to reduce its dependency on the United States for security, as President Donald Trump returns to power.
Addressing an audience of French military service members at the Army Digital and Cyber Support Command in western France, Macron highlighted the need for Europe to adapt to changing threats and shifting US foreign policy priorities, particularly concerning Ukraine, calling Trump's inauguration an “opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call".
“What will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its warships from the Mediterranean?" he asked. "If they send their fighter jets from the Atlantic to the Pacific?”
Trump has criticised the cost of US military aid to Ukraine and intends to shift more financial responsibility onto Europe while seeking to end the war within six months, though he has yet to explain how.
Macron urged Europe to provide enduring support to Ukraine, ensuring Kyiv is in a strong position in the advent of future peace negotiations.
He emphasised the need for Europe to secure “guarantees” against the resurgence of conflict on Ukrainian territory and to “play its full role” in peace efforts.
Macron also underscored the broader need for strategic vigilance, citing some of Trump's outré statements in recent weeks.
“Who would have thought a year ago that Greenland would be at the centre of political and strategic debates? That’s the way it is.”
Keeping peace in Ukraine
Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed he and Macron had discussed the possibility of deploying Western troops in Ukraine to safeguard a future peace deal.
“As one of these guarantees, we discussed the French initiative to deploy military contingents in Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
However, such a move would carry significant risks. Deploying European troops as peacekeepers could fail to deter future Russian aggression and could potentially lead to direct confrontations between European and Russian troops.
Such escalation might plunge NATO, including the US, into a broader conflict.