PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said he was willing to discuss offering European allies the protection of France’s nuclear capabilities, adding that Russia represented a genuine threat to the continent’s security with U.S. military support no longer guaranteed.
Below are some of the key quotes from his prime time address to the nation.
RUSSIAN THREAT
“Overall, our prosperity and security have become more uncertain. It must be said that we are entering a new era.”
“Russia has already made the Ukrainian conflict a global conflict. It has mobilized North Korean soldiers and Iranian equipment on our continent, while helping these countries to arm themselves more.”
“President Putin’s Russia violates our borders to assassinate opponents, manipulates elections in Romania and Moldova, and organizes cyber attacks on our hospitals to block their operation. Russia is trying to manipulate our opinions with lies spread on social networks. And deep down, it is testing our limits. It does it in the air, at sea, in space and behind our screens.”
“Who can believe, in this context, that Russia will stop at Ukraine? Russia has become, as I speak to you and for years to come, a threat to France and Europe.”
“Faced with this world of danger, remaining a spectator would be madness. It is a question, without further delay, of making decisions for Ukraine, for the security of the French, for the security of Europeans.”
END OF US SUPPORT?
“I want to believe that the United States will stand by us. But we have to be ready if that is not the case.”
“Given the Russian threat that I have just described, European states must be able to defend themselves better and deter any aggression … We must equip ourselves better, raise our defence posture, and this for peace, even to deter. In this respect, we remain committed to NATO and our partnership with the United States of America. But we must do more. Strengthen our independence in defence and security matters.”
“The future of Europe does not have to be decided in Washington or Moscow. And yes, the threat is returning to the East and the innocence, so to speak, of the last 30 years, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, is now over.”
RAMPING UP FRENCH DEFENCE PREPARATION
“I have asked the government to be mobilized so that, on the one hand, it strengthens our armies as quickly as possible. And on the other hand, it accelerates reindustrialization in all our regions. And I will gather with the competent ministers and the industrialists of the sector in the coming days.”
“We will have to make new budgetary choices and additional investments that have now become essential. I have asked the government to work on this as quickly as possible. These will be new investments that require mobility, to mobilize private financing, but also public financing, without taxes being increased. For this, reforms, choices, and courage will be needed.”
DEBATE ON SHARING FRENCH NUCLEAR UMBRELLA
“Responding to the historic call of the future German Chancellor, I have decided to open the strategic debate on the protection of our allies on the European continent through our (nuclear) deterrence. Whatever happens, the decision has always been and will remain in the hands of the President of the Republic, head of the armed forces.”
IMPACT OF TARIFFS
“(U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs) decision, incomprehensible both for the American economy and for ours, will have consequences … It increases the difficulty of the moment, but it will not go without a response from us. So, while preparing the response with our European colleagues, we will continue … to do everything to convince that this decision would harm us all. And I hope, yes, to convince and dissuade the President of the United States of America.”
EUROPE’S FUTURE
“Tomorrow’s solutions cannot be yesterday’s habits.”
“Europe has the economic strength, the power and the talent to live up to this era and to compare ourselves to the United States of America, let alone Russia. We have the means. So we must act united as Europeans and determined to protect ourselves.”
“Our generation will no longer receive the dividends of peace. It is up to us to ensure that our children reap the dividends of our commitments tomorrow.”
(Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter, Editing by Nick Zieminski)
