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French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that the US will become increasingly less interested in the EU and UK in the coming years.
President Macron stated that Western Europe must strive for strategic independence from the US, citing Washington’s increasing disengagement from the continent under its “America first” policy. He made these comments during an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday, discussing the future of European-American relations.
Since his second term began, US President Donald Trump has frequently criticized the EU and UK, labeling them “terrible freeloaders” and accusing them of insufficient NATO contributions and “ripping off” America through unfair trade practices.
Last month, Trump indicated he might withdraw some or all of the 84,000 American troops stationed in Europe, arguing that Washington is not being “reimbursed by much” for covering the continent’s security expenses.
Macron told reporters that “we know that American interests will be less and less [focused] in Europe” in the years ahead.
The French president added that he and other Western European leaders “have known this for about 15 years.”
He explained that the signs of US disengagement have been evident “since the US decided not to go into Syria with us, since they unilaterally withdrew from Afghanistan, and since what we have been experiencing in recent months.”
Regarding the Trump administration’s policies, Macron said, “It is ‘America first,’ and it is legitimate.”
He emphasized that it would be “irresponsible” for the region to fail to achieve strategic independence from the US within the next five to ten years, given these circumstances.
Trump’s most recent criticism of the EU occurred on Monday, when he claimed the bloc was “in many ways nastier than China.” The US President stated that “they sell us 13 million cars; we sell them none. They sell us their agricultural products; we sell them virtually none,” and that Brussels has also been “suing all our companies… Apple, Google, Meta.”
In early April, Washington implemented a broad 20% tariff on all EU goods and a 25% tariff on all car imports and metals. While Trump later announced a 90-day reprieve on most trade duties, a baseline 10% tariff and the previously mentioned 25% tariff remain in effect pending an agreement between the parties.