French President Emmanuel Macron has stated on more than one occasion that Europe should defend its interests for itself and not delegate matters related to its defense to NATO. The French leader also considers it important that European countries return to dialogue with Russia.
In a recent interview, Macron affirmed that the Northern Alliance organization no longer has zero relevance to anything. This is due, in particular, to the end of the Treaty of Friendship, Collaboration and Mutual Assistance of the nations of the Eastern Bloc.
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“No one can tell me that NATO today is a structure that remains relevant at its foundations. It was founded to deal with the Warsaw Pact. There is no longer a Warsaw Pact”
Macron said in an interview with the Financial Times.
According to the French president, neither Russia nor the West has accepted the collapse of communism.
“Sometimes we continue to fight against an ideology or an organization that no longer exists with a geopolitical logic that no longer exists and that has continued to fracture Europe. We have to accept that it takes time and that there will continue to be a disappointment”
added the French leader.
Macron believes that Europe must develop its own unified defense strategy, which is why he asked the European Union countries not to “delegate their protection and the protection of their neighborhood to the US”, but to independently defend their interests by cooperating in the military field.
“I am a defender of European sovereignty, of strategic autonomy, not because I am against NATO or because I doubt our American friends, but because I am lucid about the state of the world”
the French president stressed.
The next day, when he appeared virtually at the Munich Security Conference, Macron spoke again about NATO and considered that “a new concept” is necessary for the Northern Alliance. In addition, the president spoke out in favor of dialogue with Russia, a dialogue that, according to him, should be “demanding”, but which is essential for peace in Europe.
However, Macron’s US counterpart Joe Biden has an opposite view on relations with Moscow. Speaking at the same Munich Security Conference, the US president accused the Russian leadership of seeking “to weaken the European project and the NATO alliance” and “to undermine transatlantic unity.”
Last January, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged the allies to increase defense spending in order to ensure the readiness of the Atlantic Alliance to deal with “the aggressive behavior of Russia” and “the rise of China.”
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More recently, the official advocated updating the NATO strategy concept taking into account, among other issues, the deterioration of relations with Russia.
Moscow has repeatedly declared that it would never attack any of the bloc countries.
Leadership in Europe
Macron’s recent interview was not the first time that the French president took a hard position in relation to NATO. In November 2019, the president spoke about the strategic and political issues within the Alliance and what he called the “brain death” of the organization.
On that occasion, Macron underlined the importance of a strategic dialogue between Europe and Russia. In addition, the French president recalled that the United States and Russia are separated by an ocean, while, for Europe, Russia is a neighbor.
According to a Russian expert from the European Institute of the Russian Academy of Science, despite the contradictions that exist between Russia and France, Macron maintains a pragmatic approach to European security problems.
“Macron understands that it is impossible to solve any complex international problem without the participation of Russia, much less when it comes to issues of European security and strategic stability. Furthermore, Paris believes that Europe should acquire greater independence within NATO”
explained the expert to RT.
The expert further explained that Macron resorts to the ideas of Gaullism, in which the emphasis is on the military and political independence of the nation.
“That is why Macron talks about the transformations in NATO and the dialogue with Russia,” the academic added.
For his part, Andrey Suzdaltsev, associate professor at the Faculty of World Economics and Politics at the Moscow Higher School of Economics, believes that behind the French president’s words lies the desire to occupy a leadership position at the European level.
“Today NATO is an instrument of American control over Europe. It is the United States that plays the main role in this political-military alliance. However, Emmanuel Macron himself seeks to be the leader in Europe,” the expert told RT.
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Both experts agree that Washington is unlikely to agree to diminish NATO’s role in Europe.
“Joe Biden wants to normalize relations with Europe, so he will try to carry out his policy taking into account the positions of European allies. But the US authorities will not follow Macron’s call and will not build a dialogue with Russia. It is unacceptable for NATO and the United States to build such a dialogue between Russia and Europe”
Suzdaltsev said.
For experts, Stoltenberg’s statements reflect the interests and position of the United States, although “sane Western politicians understand that Russia is not going to attack NATO countries.” However, their voices, as well as that of the French president, are unlikely to dominate, as they contradict the US position.