Macron holds phone call with Trump
Paris, Feb 17: French President Emmanuel Macron had a phone call with Donald Trump just as he was about to greet key European Union nations and the United Kingdom at the Elysee Palace on Monday for an emergency meeting on how to react to the US diplomatic blitz on Ukraine, which left the once rock-solid partner as a potential political liability.
Macron’s office would not disclose details about the discussion.
Leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark and the European Union are holding talks on how to deal with Europe’s security quandary. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte ia also attending.
Last week, top US officials from the Trump administration made their first visit to Europe, leaving the impression that Washington was ready to embrace the Kremlin while it cold-shouldered many of its age-old European allies.
Despite belligerent warnings for months ahead of Donald Trump’s reelection as US president, EU leaders publicly ignored the ominous forebodings, hoping somehow that Trump would stand shoulder to shoulder with Europe while the continent would finally start to beef up its defences and become less reliant on American firepower.
But a flurry of speeches by Vice President JD Vance and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth last week questioned both Europe’s security commitments and its fundamental democratic principles. Macron said their stinging rebukes and threats of non-cooperation in the face of military danger felt like a shock to the system.
The tipping point came when Trump decided to upend years of US policy by holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in hopes of ending the Russia-Ukraine war. Then, Trump’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia on Saturday all but ruled out the inclusion of other Europeans in any Ukraine peace talks.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called the week “an existential moment. It’s a moment where Europe has to stand up”. (AP)