It was the fifth intervention by the French president Emmanuel Macron at the Munich Security Conference, and perhaps the last before his second five-year term expires in the first half of 2027. That is why he did not want to disappoint, and articulated a fiery defense of the idea of Europe, unfairly “vilified as an aging, slow and fragmented construction.”
Presented by Wolfgang Ischingerthe president of the most prestigious Defense policy forum on the planet, who had opened the Conference with glasses similar to those that Macron himself wore at the Davos Forum, the tenant of the Elysée wanted to send a message “of hope and determination” about the future of the Old Continent.
“Where some see threats, I see strength; where some see doubts, I want to see opportunities, because I believe that Europe is intrinsically strong and can become even stronger,” he said.
But Ischinger wanted to talk about the elephant in the room, which is none other than Ukraine, and Macron entered fully into the issue. He called to “not give in” to Vladimir Putinbut to continue putting pressure on a “weakened” Russia that “has not achieved its objectives” in Ukraine after four years of invasion.
It is true that the French president does not renounce diplomatic channels, which is why he sent his top foreign policy advisor to Moscow last week, Emmanuel Bonneto reestablish communication channels with the Kremlin.
Along these lines, Macron urged Europeans to negotiate “our new security architecture because our geography is not going to change, since we have Russia on our borders, and third countries cannot negotiate our security.”
He strongly asked not to leave this delicate matter “in the hands of third parties”, a veiled reference to Donald Trumpwhich does not renounce taking over the sovereignty of Greenland and tightens the screws to Volodímir Zelenski to give in to Russia’s maximalist demands.
“We must ensure that the agreement protects Ukraine, preserves European security, discourages Russia from trying again and does not give the rest of the world a calamitous example to follow,” said Macron, who defended Europe’s presence at the negotiating table, which will resume next week in Geneva.
“There will be no peace without the Europeans. I want to be very clear: you can negotiate without the Europeans, if you prefer, but that will not bring peace to the table,” he said.