Trump touches down in France, instantly slams Macron’s ‘insulting’ EU army proposal
- French president had said earlier in the week that continent needed a joint military force to protect itself from ‘China, Russia and even the United States’
US President Donald Trump on Friday blasted calls by Emmanuel Macron for a European army to defend against threats from powers including the US as “very insulting”, setting a combative tone for his first world war commemorative visit to Paris.
Right after Trump touched down in Paris on a trip to mark the end of the first world war, he fired off a tweet slamming his host for suggesting the EU should have its own joint army.
“President Macron of France has just suggested that Europe build its own military in order to protect itself from the US, China and Russia,” the US president tweeted, referring to remarks made by Macron three days earlier. “Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of Nato, which the US subsidises greatly!”
Macron, an ardent advocate of closer European integration, said a joint European Union military force was needed to wean Europe off American might, not least after Trump announced he was pulling out of a cold war-era nuclear treaty.
“We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States,” he told Europe 1 broadcaster, suggesting for the first time that Europe might need to defend itself from America.
The French president, who has enacted major defence spending hikes to bring France in line with Nato spending targets, is spearheading the creation of a nine-country European rapid reaction force, independent from Nato.