French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that Europe must "still strengthen itself to depend less on others," even while remaining committed to NATO. Speaking to BFMTV after the allies published their defense spending decision, he pointed to France's military expansion, saying that with two defense laws, "we will have doubled our military budget."
Macron stressed that France has "a full, solidly equipped army with deterrence," and "does not depend on others" for its security. He said the war in Ukraine is "very territorial, very ground-based, high-intensity," and warned that future threats will increasingly appear "in cyber, space, and at sea."
Calling it "an absurdity" for allies to wage trade wars while asking each other to spend more on defense, Macron also urged "commercial peace" within the alliance.
