Macron Speaks

by Eduardo del Buey

Macron Speaks

On March 5^th, French President Emmanuel Macron informed his people that Donald Trump had abandoned the role of the United States as the leader of the free world. The French President also pledged to counter Russian aggression that “knows no bounds.”

I believe the world urgently needs leadership like this right now.

The Guardian newspaper reports that Macron warned the French nation that Russia was rapidly rearming following its invasion of Ukraine and could attack additional countries if it wasn’t firmly deterred.

“I know President Putin well. If he’s reacting this way, it’s because he knows what I said is true,” Macron told reporters at the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday.

“He’s making a historical error: Napoleon waged conquests. The only imperialistic power I see in Europe right now is Russia,” he stated in response to a question from a Russian journalist who is exiled in France.

Macron expressed his belief that Putin could betray his word, as he had previously failed to honor the Minsk agreements signed with France, Germany, and Ukraine following the 2014 invasion of Crimea.

He also noted that the reactions in Moscow on Thursday were likely loud, given that Russia’s intention to continue waging war against Europe, should a rushed peace treaty in Ukraine be signed, had been revealed.

“He was likely irritated by the fact that we’re exposing his game,” Macron remarked.

“I want to believe the US will stay by our side. But we have to be ready if that isn’t the case,” Macron said in a televised address.

“I’m speaking to you tonight because of the international situation and its consequences for Europe,” Macron said to the French people. “I know you are legitimately worried faced with the historic events that are shaking the world order.”

“The war in Ukraine, which has left almost one million dead and injured, continues with the same intensity,” he continued. “The US, our ally, has changed its position on this war, supporting Ukraine less and allowing doubt to linger on what will come next.” Macron said that the world is becoming more “brutal” and has entered a “new era,” adding that “it would be madness to stay a spectator in this world of danger.”

He stated that France and all of Europe must stand together and help Ukraine “to resist until Ukraine can negotiate a peace with Russia that is solid for themselves and for all of us.”

Macron stated that peace cannot be achieved by “abandoning Ukraine.”

“Peace cannot be achieved at any cost,” he remarked, making a jab at Trump’s rhetoric. “Who can believe that Russia would stop at Ukraine today?”

Macron also discussed the possibility of expanding nuclear deterrence to safeguard European countries. "Our nuclear deterrent protects us: it's comprehensive, sovereign, and uniquely French," Macron said.

“But, responding to the historic call of the future German Chancellor, I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our (nuclear) deterrence," he added.

“Europe’s future should not be decided in Washington or Moscow, and yes, the threat from the east is returning. And the innocence of these 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall is over,” he continued.

Macron also addressed Trump’s disastrous tariff policy, calling it “incomprehensible, as much for the American economy as ours.”

During this era of American chaos, it’s profoundly reassuring to witness our allies staying attentive to the genuine threats confronting the world today.

Let’s hope they can unite to form a “coalition of the willing” that establishes Europe as a beacon of sanity in a world that appears to be falling apart.