Support for Ukraine must remain an “absolute priority” also believes the head of state.
French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called this Tuesday in Paris to maintain resolute military support for Ukraine while the election of Donald Trump in the United States casts doubt on the continuation of the American aid to Kyiv.
“Support for this country attacked by Russia remains an absolute priority,” the French head of state told the press before a working lunch with Mr. Rutte.
“The recent deployment of North Koreans to the front line is a serious escalation. And we will continue to advocate for NATO and its allies to provide full support to the Ukrainian army for as long as it takes,” he said. he added.
For the French president, “this is the only path to negotiations. And I want to be clear, when the time comes, nothing will have to be decided on Ukraine without the Ukrainians, nor on Europe without the Europeans.”
End the war in 24 hours
Donald Trump, who will return to the White House on January 20, recalled last week that he was not there to wage war but peace. He had promised during the election campaign to end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours, without saying how.
Alongside Emmanuel Macron, the new NATO Secretary General on Tuesday called on the West to “do more than just allow Ukraine to fight”.
“We must maintain the strength of our transatlantic alliance. The immediate challenge we face is supporting Ukraine”, which is “preparing for its toughest winter” since the Russian invasion began in February 2022, he added.
North Korean support for Moscow illustrates the need for support from the United States, whose own security is in question, according to him.
Russia supports Pyongyang financially and provides it with its expertise in missile technologies, he recalled. “It is very worrying. These missiles pose a direct threat to American territory,” he pleaded.
Likewise, by collaborating with North Korea, Iran and China, Russia “not only threatens Europe but also threatens peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and North America”, according to him.
Europe has “for too long avoided carrying the burden of its own security”
While Donald Trump regularly criticizes the Europeans for not spending enough money on their defense at the expense of the United States, Emmanuel Macron recognized that Europe has “for too long avoided carrying the burden of its own security”, even if “this has never been the case for France”, according to him.
The French president reiterated the importance in his eyes of building a “European pillar of our transatlantic security”. “This is also what is rightly expected by the American administration from the Europeans within the Alliance,” he said.
“We need more robust transatlantic defense cooperation and more defense investment,” added the NATO chief, judging that “the more we spend on defense, the more we reduce the risk of future conflict.” .
