French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that the U.S. is “gradually turning away” from some of its allies and “breaking free from international rules”.
Speaking during his annual address to French ambassadors at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on Thursday (8 January), Macron said the international order was becoming increasingly fragile. His remarks came amid growing unease in Europe over a series of recent U.S. actions, including the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and renewed statements from Washington regarding Greenland.
“The U.S. is an established power,” Macron said, “but one that is gradually turning away from some of its allies and breaking free from international rules that it was still promoting recently.
“We are living in a world of great powers, with a real temptation to divide up the world,” he told France’s diplomatic corps at the Élysée Palace.
The speech was delivered as European governments have been left trying to develop a coordinated response to developments in Venezuela, where the U.S. operation to detain Maduro has drawn criticism from several countries.
Some European leaders have questioned the legality of the move and warned it could further undermine the principle of national sovereignty.
Macron also referred indirectly to President Donald Trump’s renewed interest in Greenland, a strategically important Arctic territory that is part of Denmark. Trump’s comments have been firmly rejected by Danish officials, who insist that Greenland’s future can only be decided by its own population.
Although Macron did not mention President Trump by name, the speech reflected broader European concern about what many see as a shift in U.S. foreign policy away from cooperation and towards unilateral action.
He said France “rejects the new colonialism and new imperialism – but also vassalage and defeatism.”
Macron has repeatedly called for greater “strategic autonomy” for Europe, particularly in defence and foreign policy, arguing that the continent should not be overly dependent on Washington.
While stressing the importance of continued cooperation with the U.S., Macron made clear that alliances could no longer be taken for granted.
“We are entering a new era,” he said, one in which Europe must be prepared to act to defend both its values and the international rules that have underpinned global stability for decades.
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