Macron to Europe: Spend More on Defense01/21 06:07

   

   CESSON-SEVIGNE, France (AP) -- French President Emmanuel Macron called on 
Europe Monday to "wake up" and spend more on defense in order to reduce its 
reliance on the United States for its security, in a speech to the French 
military as Donald Trump returns to power.

   Macron referred to expected changes in Washington's foreign policy, 
especially regarding the war in Ukraine, saying it was an "opportunity for a 
European strategic wake-up call," in his New Year's speech to the military at 
the Army Digital and Cyber Support Command based in western France.

   "What will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its 
warships from the Mediterranean? If they send their fighter jets from the 
Atlantic to the Pacific?" he asked.

   Trump has criticized the cost of the war in Ukraine for U.S. taxpayers 
through major military aid packages and has made it clear that he wants to 
shift more of the fiscal burden onto Europe. He has vowed to bring the conflict 
to a swift end, voicing hope that peace could be negotiated in six months.

   France and Europe need to adapt to evolving threats and changing interests, 
Macron said. "Who would have thought a year ago that Greenland would be at the 
center of political and strategic debates? That's the way it is."

   He said providing lasting support to Ukraine is key so that Kyiv is in a 
strong position when engaging in any future peace negotiations.

   Ukraine must receive "guarantees" against any return of the war on its 
territory when hostilities cease and Europe must take "play its full role" in 
the process, he said.

   Last week, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he discussed with 
Macron about the possibility of Western troops deploying in Ukraine to 
safeguard any peace deal ending the nearly three-year war with Russia.

   "As one of these guarantees, we discussed the French initiative to deploy 
military contingents in Ukraine," Zelenskyy said.

   Potentially sending European troops as peacekeepers to Ukraine is fraught 
with risk. Such a move may not deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again in the 
future, which is the fear of Ukrainian officials, and could drag European 
countries into a direct confrontation with Moscow. That, in turn, could pull 
NATO -- including the United States -- into a conflict.