Macron urges Europe to boost defenses amid Trump’s return to WH: Report

• French President Emmanuel Macron is urging Europe to beef up its defense industry in response to what he dubbed “the electroshock” caused by President Donald Trump returning to the White House last month. Macron’s call to action came in an interview with the Financial Times.
• Macron said, “This is Europe’s moment to accelerate and execute,” adding, “It has no choice. It is running out of road.”
• Macron’s remarks come as European allies are concerned over some of the details of Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine, which emerged this week.

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French President Emmanuel Macron is urging Europe to beef up its defense industry in response to what he dubbed “the electroshock” caused by President Donald Trump’s return to the White House.

What did Macron say?

Macron’s call to action came in an interview with the Financial Times, published on Friday, Feb. 14.

In the interview, Macron said, “This is Europe’s moment to accelerate and execute,” adding, “It has no choice. It is running out of road.”

Macron’s remarks come as European allies are concerned over some of the details of Trump’s peace plan as they started to come to light during the week of Feb. 9.

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What were Trump’s latest remarks on Ukraine?

As Straight Arrow News recently reported, Trump said he wanted to start negotiations with Moscow “immediately” after calling Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump posted about the call on Truth Social before calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to relay the details of the conversation.

However, Trump did tell reporters Kyiv would need to be a part of the peace talks with Russia. If a ceasefire agreement includes provisions for Russia to keep the Ukrainian land it currently occupies, though, critics say Russia will be in a better position to complete its invasion of Ukraine since it may get to rearm and rebuild its military.

What did Macron say about Ukraine?

The French leader is casting doubt on whether Putin would actually agree to a ceasefire in another recent interview.

In his interview with the Financial Times, Macron stopped short of criticizing Trump directly on Ukraine. Instead, he said Trump created a “window of opportunity” for peace negotiations, where “everyone has to play their role,” which Macron said includes Zelenskyy entering talks about territorial and sovereignty issues without the need for U.S. support.

Macron warned in the interview that “peace that is capitulation” is “bad news for everyone,” including the United States.

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Why does Macron want defense beefed up?

Macron said that by building up its defense capabilities in the face of growing global threats, Europe will be able to launch military responses without the need for U.S. support.