"This year's conference comes at a time of strained ties between Europe and the United States, after Trump threatened to take over Greenland and criticised "decaying" and "weak" European nations. Russia's war against Ukraine, set to enter its fifth year this month, is high on the agenda, alongside efforts by European NATO members to raise their defence budgets, in line with Trump's demands, out of concern that Moscow could seek to expand into their territory."
""Being a part of NATO is not only Europe's competitive advantage. It's also the United States' competitive advantage. So let's repair and revive transatlantic trust together," Merz said. "In the era of great-power rivalry, even the United States will not be powerful enough to go it alone.""
"Macron emphatically defended Europe in his speech, saying "everyone should take their cue from us, instead of criticising us"."
European leaders called for a reset in relations with the United States and urged a new transatlantic partnership alongside stronger European autonomy and defence. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz promoted repairing transatlantic trust and emphasized NATO as a mutual competitive advantage. French President Emmanuel Macron insisted Europe should be followed not criticized and pushed for a strong Europe. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Europe is a sleeping giant and must rely less on the United States for defence. Russia's war against Ukraine and pressure to raise NATO members' defence budgets were central security concerns. Trump's rhetoric and past attacks on European policies have strained ties.
Read at The Local France
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