Macron calls on Europe to reject ’happy vassal dependence’ on US

During a two-day state visit to Portugal, Emmanuel Macron called on Europeans to be more united and stronger than ever and to abandon their happy vassalage to the United States.

According to a statement from the Elysee Palace, this official trip to the country, the first by a French head of state in more than a quarter of a century, was intended to celebrate the depth and closeness of ties between the two countries.

However, Macron used the opportunity to deliver a message to Europeans, urging them to rediscover their taste for risk, ambition and power in the face of the unpredictability of the United States under Donald Trump, both on Ukraine and tariffs.

“I see many people in our Europe saying: “We will have to be nice to the Americans, this will pass, we will have to bend our backs,” he said.

Macron says the answer is not submission and does not advocate "happy vassal dependence" on the United States.

On the contrary, “Europeans can be convinced of one thing: they need to be united and strong more than ever,” and for this “we must make very deep choices (...) in technological, industrial and defense matters,” Macron said.

Macron visited the United States this week and met with Trump. After his trip, he held a briefing for EU leaders. The French President said that after his discussions with President Trump in Washington and preparation for the European Council on March 6, they had reaffirmed their commitment to work together to create conditions for a lasting and secure peace in Ukraine and the security of Europe.

According to BFMTV, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's visit to Washington was canceled by Trump, but Macron managed to convince the US President.