French President Emmanuel Macron called on Europe on Monday, January 20, to "wake up" and spend more on defense, in a speech to the French military as Donald Trump returns to power. Macron referred to expected changes in Washington's foreign policies especially regarding the war in Ukraine and said this is an "opportunity for a European strategic wake-up call."
"What will we do in Europe tomorrow if our American ally withdraws its warships from the Mediterranean? If they send their fighter jets from the Atlantic to the Pacific?" he asked.
Trump has criticized the cost of the war in Ukraine for US taxpayers through major military aid packages and vowed to bring the conflict to a swift end. He also has made it clear that he wants to shift more of the burden of Ukraine onto Europe.
Macron warned that Russia's war on Ukraine would not end "tomorrow or the day after," after Trump pledged to quickly end the conflict. Trump has not explained how he plans to stop the fighting.