Macron Calls Go-It-Alone Defence Strategies in Europe an ‘Absurdity’
Macron said Europe must avoid fragmented defense efforts and speed up arms production as at least 25 leaders prepare to back Ukraine.
- On Monday, July 13, 2026, French President Emmanuel Macron warned European nations against "go-it-alone" defense policies, urging collective industrial cooperation as the continent rearms amid threats from Russia.
- The speech followed the collapse of the Franco-German FCAS fighter jet project last month, as deadlock between Airbus and Dassault Aviation illustrates industrial rivalries complicating Europe's collective rearmament.
- Macron demanded faster production of drones, air defense systems, missiles, and ammunition, noting he fulfilled a pledge to double France's defense budget over the past decade yet warned "we are not producing quickly enough."
- At least 25 heads of state, including Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, will attend a "Coalition of the Willing" meeting in Paris to reaffirm support for Kyiv and push for peace talks.
- Distinguishing between "patriotism" and "nationalism," Macron stated, "Patriotism, yes; nationalism, never," arguing that separate accumulation of military capabilities is an "absurdity" amid Europe's rearmament pressure.
48 Articles
48 Articles
The French President on the eve of the national feast of July 14, in his traditional address to the Armed Forces
A "strategic awakening" at the service of "peace" and at the "blood price if it is necessary": Emmanuel Macron launched on Monday 13 July a powerful message of European mobilization, before bringing together the 37 countries that militarily support Ukraine, a "coalition of volunteers" denounced by Moscow as "going into war." In his traditional and last speech to the armies on the eve of 14 July, the Head of State recalled that France is not alon…
On the eve of Bastille Day, Macron pointed out the valorization of freedom and the rule of law. In a "strategic awakening" of Europeans, he emphasized French defence efforts.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that the war in Ukraine had changed the approach to European security, and he said that the main deterrent was not the number of weapons in the warehouses, but the ability to produce them quickly.
French President Emmanuel Macron called on the European States to work more closely in the field of defence, warning that the separate development of national military capabilities is an "absurdity" in the current security environment.
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