In an interview with Le Monde, François Hollande analyses Donald Trump's first few weeks back in office. The former French president says Trump's goal is to open a new chapter in today's geopolitics, where only three axes of power count: the United States, Russia and China − leaving Europe behind. Faced with the likelihood of American disengagement from NATO and the threat that Russia poses, France, the United Kingdom and Germany must be at the forefront of "genuine European security," he says.

No, because I'm clear-sighted. Donald Trump's second term will have little to do with the first. It's still the same Donald Trump, but it's not the same presidency. He has made a profound break with Europe.

And we must draw the conclusion that while the American people are still our friends, the Trump administration is no longer our ally. This divorce can be measured by three major facts, which have occurred in barely a week: the abandonment of Ukraine, an attacked country that we support, but which Trump said was run by a "dictator"; his willingness to enter into direct dialogue with [Russian President] Vladimir Putin, whom we consider an "existential threat"; finally, the fact that the US joined Russia and North Korea at the United Nations [UN], to vote against a resolution proposed by Europe in support of Ukraine.

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