PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron wants to lead a charm offensive to convince EU countries to stop buying U.S. defense equipment and buy French and European instead.
Macron, who has been calling for years to direct defense spending toward EU products, said he wants to convince other European countries that are currently “buying American” to shift to local options.
“My intention is to go and convince European states that have become accustomed to buying American,” he said on Saturday in an interview with several French media including Nice-Matin and Le Parisien.
“Those who buy Patriot should be offered the new-generation Franco-Italian SAMP/T. Those who buy the F-35, should be offered the Rafale. That’s the way to increase the rate of production,” he said.
Macron’s comments come as European NATO members have become even more dependent on U.S. weapons than ever before.
This month, the Netherlands and Belgium confirmed they would still buy American-made F-35 fighter jets, while Portugal is wobbling about replacing its U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets with more modern F-35s because of “the recent position of the United States, in the context of NATO.”
Macron said he has asked French defense companies to cut red tape and reduce costs to become a more attractive option, Nice-Matin reported.
The French president also clarified what a possible deployment of European troops to help Ukraine could look like. The goal is to “deploy a few thousand men per nation, at key points, to carry out training programs” and “show our support over the long term,” he said.
Macron said that the conditions laid down by Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree on a ceasefire in Ukraine “are unacceptable.”
“This would mean a partial invasion of Ukraine and a freeze on the conflict, without offering any security or guarantees for the future,” Macron said.
Macron announced for “the coming weeks” a reform of the so-called “Service National Universel” — a voluntary service for people aged between 15 and 17 that includes sporting activities, civic education and a stint at a state organization or nongovernmental organization — “to meet the nation’s needs and the priorities we have identified.”
The French president, however, ruled out a comeback of compulsory military service.
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