And Macron does not let grass grow on it, stresses De Vries. The French president is organizing a defense summit in Paris for all defense ministers on June 19. “Not only from the European Union, but also from other European countries,” says De Vries. “Tomorrow there will be a big summit in Moldova, which will also be attended by leaders of European countries outside the European Union”.
“Since World War II, Europe has been able to rely on the United States, and this may not be future-proof”
Macron wants to talk about European defense capability at the Paris defense summit, says De Vries. This means that concrete talks will be made of investments in the arms industry, of greater cooperation and of considering French nuclear weapons as a European defense mechanism. “Since World War II, Europe has been able to rely on the United States, and that may not be future-proof.”
“America, thank you!”
In his speech in Bratislava, Macron also thought that a word of thanks should be addressed to the United States, and this, according to De Vries, is truly remarkable. Especially since France “is never so generous” with thanks to the United States, he says. However, it is clear that the United States has provided more than half of the aid to Ukraine, while Europe has provided the other half.
In addition to the words of praise, in Macron’s words there was also a warning, thinks De Vries. “He stressed that it is not certain what leaders the United States will have in the future,” continues De Vries. “So he thinks Europe can’t always rely on the old ally and that’s why he thinks it’s important that we can stand on our own.”
Profiling
According to De Vries, Macron is looming with his declarations as the European leader, especially in the field of defence. France is the only country in Europe with a serious army. “They have an atomic bomb and can be deployed on all continents,” explains De Vries. “So he wants the French army to form a kind of nucleus of a European army. That road is still very long, but France has always been more focused on defense than other European countries’.