French President Emmanuel Macron has accused the United States of breaking free from international rules and turning away from its allies, in unusually strong remarks that were echoed by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Speaking to France’s diplomatic corps on Thursday, Macron said Washington, an established power, was gradually abandoning the multilateral norms it once promoted.
Macron warned that multilateral institutions are functioning less effectively, and the world is seeing a real temptation to divide up global influence. He rejected what he called “new colonialism and new imperialism,” as well as “vassalage and defeatism,” and stressed the need for Europe to achieve greater strategic autonomy and reduce dependence on the US and China.
Steinmeier, speaking at a symposium in Berlin, described US behaviour as a second “epochal rupture” after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said there had been a breakdown of values by the US, which helped build the post-war world order. “It is about preventing the world from turning into a robber’s den, where the most unscrupulous take whatever they want,” he said.
Neither president explicitly mentioned specific US actions, but both were widely understood to be referring to the recent US raid in Caracas and President Donald Trump’s stated aim of taking control of Greenland. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc was weighing its response if US plans for Greenland materialise, calling the messages “extremely concerning.”
Nato ambassadors have discussed strengthening Arctic security, with some nations suggesting modelling efforts on the alliance’s eastern flank missions. Macron also defended the EU’s Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, which the US has criticised as attempts to coerce tech companies into censorship.
