“Support for this country attacked by Russia remains an absolute priority,” says Emmanuel Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called on 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 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 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 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”.

Europe has “avoided for too long 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 one’s own security”even if “this has never been the case for France”according to him. He also reiterated the importance in his eyes of building a “European pillar of our transatlantic security”. “This is also what the American administration rightly expects from Europeans within the Alliance”he estimated.