French President Emmanuel Macron intends to persuade European Union countries to stop purchasing American defense equipment and instead buy European-made alternatives, POLITICO reported.
Macron, who has long advocated directing defense spending toward EU products, expressed his desire to convince European nations that have grown accustomed to American military hardware to shift to local options. "My intention is to go and convince European states that have become accustomed to buying American," he said in an interview with several French media including Nice-Matin and Le Parisien.
The French president specifically mentioned alternatives to popular American systems. "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," Macron stated.
Macron's comments come at a time when European NATO members have grown increasingly dependent on US weapons, POLITICO noted. This month, both the Netherlands and Belgium confirmed they would continue purchasing American-made F-35 fighter jets, while Portugal is reconsidering replacing its US-made F-16 fighter jets with more modern F-35s because of "the recent position of the United States, in the context of NATO."
The French president has asked defense companies in his country to reduce bureaucracy and costs to become more attractive options for other European nations, Nice-Matin reported.
Macron also clarified what a potential deployment of European troops to assist Ukraine might entail. The objective would be 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 explained.
When discussing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Macron stated that the conditions set by Russian President Vladimir Putin for a ceasefire are "unacceptable," saying: "This would mean a partial invasion of Ukraine and a freeze on the conflict, without offering any security or guarantees for the future."
The French leader also announced upcoming reforms to the "Service National Universel" – a voluntary program for young people aged 15 to 17 that includes sporting activities, civic education, and time spent at government organizations or NGOs. However, he ruled out reinstating mandatory military service.
